Total Pokemon Island
by Victory Paradox
Summary: Latias and Latios have decided to host a brand new TV show, Total Pokemon Island! They're bringing seventy campers to an island summer camp to compete in countless challenges in the hopes of getting to the finals and winning 1 million dollars. There will be friendships, romance, backstabbing, plotting, drama, pain, and comedy! Sounds fun? Then try watching TOTAL POKEMON ISLAND!
1. Meet the New Campers!

Hey, guys! Victory Paradox here. I'm publishing this new Total Pokemon story! Latias and Latios will be hosting this story, and seventy campers will be competing.

So far, the story seems to be coming along pretty well, I'm sure the next chapter will be out soon.

I do not town Total Drama, Pokemon, or the idea for Total Pokemon. Really the only thing in this that I do own is the plot and characters I suppose.

Before we begin, I need to thank Candy Corn Snorunt (formerly Seedot929) for helping me out with this story. The initial plot and all the characters were developed by both of us several years ago, and many of them have been recycled into some of his stories. This story is the base for many of his Total Pokemon stories, as well as most of mine that were never published. I didn't think the story in its original state would ever get published, but I'm going to try to do just that. Wish me luck!

I promise, the characters will get a lot easier to understand as you go on. I know seventy is a lot (as in probably too many) for one chapter, but give it a shot. You'll learn to know all of them soon.

Please let me know what you think! Review, I'd love to hear from you!

 **-static-**

"Hello, everyone!" announced a red and white Dragon Pokemon with a cheerful expression on her face. "I'm Latias, and you're watching Total Pokemon Island! Hosted by myself, of course, and my brother, Latios. Say hi, Latios!"

"Hi," said Latios, annoyed. He looked very similar to Latias, but was blue and white instead. "There. It's done. Now can we introduce the campers?"

"So pushy," muttered Latias. "Well, yes, we'll introduce them in a minute. On this show, we'll be introducing to you seventy Pokemon who will be competing on this show for one million dollars! Each episode, the competitors, who will be split onto two teams, will vote out fellow competitors until there are only two left, who will face off in the finals."

"Why the heck did we bring in seventy competitors?" asked Latios, even more annoyed. "Do you know how long it's going to take to get used to all of them?"

"Well, I left the interns in charge of selecting applicants…you know how they can be," said Latias dismissively. "Anyway, now let's get to the fun part—introducing the competitors!"

The camera zooms off toward a red carpet, which a cluster of Pokemon can be seen gathered behind. Some wave at the camera, while others frown or make other faces.

"First up, we have Aipom!" announced Latias.

"Oh, awesome!" announced a small purple monkey Pokemon. "I'm Aipom. You guys ready for this thing?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," muttered Latios.

Aipom's eyes narrowed. "What, not ready to deal with a group of teenagers for a few months? You picked the wrong job, man."

Latios growled in annoyance. "You're making it worse, kid. Move along."

Aipom grinned. "Sure. Glad to help." Then he walked off the carpet to an area past Latias and Latios.

"Misdreavus!" called Latias.

"Awesome!" exclaimed Misdreavus. "This show is going to be so much fun! You guys aren't gonna know what hit you!"

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Latias asked cautiously.

"You decide," Misdreavus said, grinning mischievously. Then she floated over next to Aipom as Latias called up Graveler.

"Graveler, welcome!" Latias announced.

Graveler grunted. "Sure," he responded, walking off.

"Apparently the interns didn't pick them based on charm," Latios noted. Latias nodded.

"Hey, I've got loads of charm!" called Aipom, offended. Misdreavus rolled her eyes but grinned.

"Moving along...Plusle!" announced Latias. A small rodent Pokemon with red ears and plus signs on his cheeks moved up...followed by a similar looking Pokemon with light blue ears and minus signs on hers.

"Plusle...and who's this?" asked Latias.

"I'm Minun. I'm his twin sister," the blue-eared Pokemon responded politely.

Latias blinked. "I didn't know we had siblings on the show."

"Well, you sent acceptance forms to both of us, so we figured we could both get on the show," Plusle said awkwardly.

"Yeah, I mean, we thought it was okay," said Minun in an unsure tone.

Latios checked the list on the clipboard he was holding. "Yep. Minun's in the competition. Welcome aboard, kids."

"Thanks," they both said at the same time, walking over to the small crowd.

"Next up, Oshawott!" announced Latias.

"OH BOY!" said a loud voice from the crowd who hadn't been introduced yet. A small blue otter Pokemon with a shell on his chest ran up to Latias and Latios quickly. When he got there, he started speaking quickly. "I'm Oshawott! I'm here to compete! Victory is mine!" Then he struck a pose and put on sunglasses.

"That's...cool, Oshawott," said Latias kindly. "Now go stand with the others."

"Okey-doke, here I come!" he announced, bounding off toward the others. He greeted all the others, who responded back except Graveler, before settling down near Plusle and Minun.

"And...welcome to the show, Jolteon!" said Latias. A fox-like Pokemon with spiky yellow fur walked over to the hosts, a satisfied look on his face.

"Hey, guys. Glad to be here," Jolteon said confidently.

"We're glad to have you," said Latias.

Jolteon grinned. "You should be. I'm gonna make sure this competition stays interesting."

"Okay, you get limited time in the spotlight this episode. Move along," grumbled Latios.

"Sure," said Jolteon, his attitude not even fazed by Latios's annoyance. Then Latias called up Kricketune, and a red, cricket-like bug with a large mustache approached the hosts.

"Hi, I'm Kricketune," he greeted. "Thanks for having me here. Hopefully being here will inspire me to write some music."

"You're a musician?" asked Latias.

"Uh, yeah...that was kinda my whole audition tape," Kricketune responded in confusion. "How I was going to use the money to further my musical career if I win..."

"We didn't have time to learn your whole life story before picking you for the competition, bud. Now move along," Latios interjected. Kricketune shrugged and continued walking.

"Mime Jr., you're next!" Latias announced. A small, pink clown Pokemon with a blue hat on her head approached the camera.

"Hi, guys. I'm Mime Jr. Glad to be here," she greeted simply, smiling at the hosts.

"Nice to have you," said Latias.

"Thanks," she responded with a smile, before heading over to stand by the others.

"Munna? Are you here?" questioned Latias. A small, pink flowered Pokemon floated over to the hosts with a haughty expression on her face. Meanwhile, a green snake-like Pokemon with a leafy tail walked over and smirked at her as she got onscreen. The pink Pokemon turned around and stared at the green Pokemon.

"Ugh, why are you staring at me?" she asked.

"Just waiting for you to screw up your introduction," the green Pokemon responded smugly.

"I hate you," the pink Pokemon seethed.

"Right back at you," the green Pokemon replied smoothly.

"Who's that?" asked Latias.

"Ugh. That's Snivy. I'm Munna," explained the pink Pokemon.

"Why is she here now though?" asked Latias.

"Well, somehow you picked both her and me to be on the competition...and I knew her from school. I HATE her," Munna emphasized.

"Ditto," Snivy added. "She's an idiot. Don't give her too much chance to show it."

"UGH!" Munna growled. "I'm done. How she managed to get on the show, I'll never know." Then Munna floated over to the crowd of Pokemon who had already been introduced.

"Well, Snivy, you might as well come on up," Latios said. "You're already here."

"Cool," said Snivy. "Then, in that case, I'm Snivy. Here to win the competition, and of course, to beat out Munna. She won't be here too long anyway," Snivy added, a competitive gleam in her eye.

"Wow, you guys hate each other," said Latios approvingly. "I like it."

"Maybe it will add to ratings," Latias agreed hopefully. "Anyway, next we're introducing Mudkip!"

A small blue Pokemon with a fin on his head walked up. He was carrying a camera and filming what was going on.

"Sweet!" he exclaimed as he reached the hosts. "You guys are Latias and Latios! I've been looking forward to meeting you!"

"Why are you filming? You're on TV," Latios questioned.

"I'm making a documentary. I just love filming," Mudkip explained as if it were obvious.

"I see," said Latios.

"Well, Mudkip, hopefully you'll last long enough to film the finale," Latias said optimistically.

"Aw, man, I hope so!" Mudkip agreed. Then he walked over to where the other competitors were standing, still filming everything. Aipom stuck his face in front of the camera and made a goofy face, and he and Mudkip both broke out in laughter.

"Hey, Ludicolo! You're next!" Latias called into the audience. A tall striped Pokemon with a green hat stepped out of the audience. He had a happy smile on his face.

"Hey, mon!" Good to see you!" said Ludicolo. He had a bit of an accent, but he seemed genuinely happy to be there. "I'm glad you accepted me. I love making new friends, mon! Maybe we can even get some parties going on this show!"

"Parties?" asked Latias.

"Live to party!" responded Ludicolo as if that explained everything. Then he walked over to the audience and stood near Kricketune, and the two began chatting animatedly.

"Um...Snorlax, you're next," said Latias quickly. A large Pokemon walked up...a very large Pokemon.

"Hey, guys, I'm Snorlax," he said casually. Then he paused and rubbed his stomach. "Is there any food here, by chance?" he asked meekly. "I'm hungry."

"All in good time, Snorlax, all in good time," Latias responded vaguely. Snorlax sighed unhappily and continued walking.

"Numel, come on up! You're next!" Latias called cheerfully. This was met with a quiet groan.

"Do I really have to? I just got comfortable."

"Yes, Numel, if you want to be on the show," said Latias impatiently.

"Fine..." said Numel. A tan camel Pokemon appeared onscreen, looking tired and lazy. "I'm Numel. It's just great being on this show. So glad to be here. Whoop-de-freaking-do. I'm gonna go sleep now."

"Such enthusiasm!" Latios mocked. "This is gonna be great."

"I don't care," said Numel sullenly. "I really don't care." He ambled over to where the other competitors were standing as Latias called for Woobat.

A small, furry blue bat with a pink, heart-shaped nose fluttered up to Latias and Latios. "Hi, guys, I'm Woobat," she said shyly. "Thanks for having me...you know, despite my issue."

"Right...what issue was that, um, again?" asked Latias. "You know, setting up the show, we've been...flustered. Some stuff might have slipped our minds."

"Oh...well, I, um, have some severe vision impairments...like, I'm mostly blind because I lived in a cave and didn't go out into actual light until I was, like, 12, or something," said Woobat. "I mean, I have echolocation and stuff so I'll be okay."

"Oh...right, well, we're glad to have you. You can go fly over by the other competitors...can you find them?" asked Latias, not wanting to seem rude (to Woobat or the viewers).

"Yeah, I'll be fine-ow!" Woobat cried, falling onto the ground; she had accidentally collided with Graveler. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Cool. Could Nidoran get up here?" asked Latios, since Latias had been staring at Woobat, who got up off the ground and seemed fine, making conversation with Mime Jr.

"Oh...that's me!" exclaimed a small voice from in back. A small, blue rodent-like Pokemon with large teeth and big ears walked up. She looked nervous. "I'm Nidoran."

"Hey, Nidoran, how are you? Ready for the show?" asked Latias.

"Oh...I don't know," said Nidoran timidly. "I've never been on a reality show before...seems pretty scary,"

"You'll be fine if you don't make everyone hate you," assured Latios. Nidoran gave him a spooked look, but was forced to walk away as Latias had called up Glaceon, the next competitor.

The Pokemon that walked up was a light blue fox Pokemon with long blue ears. She was stunningly pretty and many of the male Pokemon, Latios included, stared as she walked up. From the audience, Jolteon and Aipom whistled. Glaceon smiled modestly.

"Hi, I'm Glaceon," she greeted. Latias smiled at her, while Latios looked at her stupidly.

"You're pretty," he said slowly.

"Oh...um, well, I'm working on getting a modeling contract...there's a company that really wants me. But, um, thanks for informing me," she said, with a laugh at the end.

"Good to have you on the show, Glaceon," Latias said. "I apologize for my brother," she added.

"Oh, it's fine," Glaceon laughed. Then she relaxed. "But make no mistake, I'm here to win. Don't let looks fool you."

"Good to know," said Latias. Latios suddenly snapped out of his trance and directed Glaceon to stand over by the others. She stood by Misdreavus, but some of the males, like Jolteon and Aipom, slowly inched toward her.

"Gligar, come on up!" Latias announced, checking Latios's list. A pink scorpion Pokemon with blue wings glided out of the larger crowd and down to where Latias and Latios were flying. She had a cocky grin on her face.

"Hello, everyone. Name's Gligar, and I'm in it to win it. So don't forget it," said Gligar. She nodded at the other competitors, who acknowledged her. "I'm a bit independent, but I'm a pretty good team player too. I think we'll all get along."

"That was...a pretty well handled intro, Gligar," Latias admitted. "I don't feel the need to ask you anything. You can head over there."

"Thanks," she responded, before drifting over to the crowd, settling near Numel and Snivy, who was still glaring daggers at Munna across the crowd.

"Meowth, your presence is requested!" Latias announced. A cream-colored cat with large eyes and a golden coin resting on his forehead jumped out of the crowd and rushed toward Latias and Latios.

"WHERE'S THE MONEY?" he questioned immediately, a threatening gleam in his eyes as he stared at the hosts.

"Um, you have to win it?" Latios drawled sarcastically.

"Aw, shucks," said Meowth, sighing. "I'm just here for the money. I love money. Money makes the world go 'round. And it's so shiny!"

"Do you have anything to say that's not about money?" Latios inquired.

Meowth considered for a second. "Not really."

"Then go stand over by the others," he said tiredly. Meowth saluted and walked over to the others.

"Cherubi, you're up!" said Latias. Suddenly, something sailed through the air and landed near Latias. "Oh, what's this?" she asked, interested.

"Why is it on fire?" asked Latios, unsettled. Then his eyes widened. "OH CRAP THAT'S A-"

"BOMB!" exclaimed a small, red Pokemon that looked like two cherries connected to each other. She jumped towards Latias and Latios right as the bomb exploded. It didn't really hurt anyone, but it left Latias and Latios covered in soot. Latias frowned at the cherry Pokemon while Latios growled.

"Cherubi?" asked Latias, a hard tone in her voice.

"Yep," she said proudly. Then, a maniacal gleam entered her eyes. "I LIKE BOMBS!

With that, she cackled and hopped away into the crowd.

"Good to see our campers have healthy life habits...such as a money obsession and fascination with explosives," said Latios quietly. Latias nodded, exasperated.

"Pidove, can you please come up here...as non-lethally as possible?" said Latias, adding the second part as an afterthought.

A small, plain-looking gray bird with some darker gray sections on his wings fluttered up to the hosts. "O-oh, I'm Pidove," he stuttered nervously. He didn't make eye contact with the hosts and looked as if he were having a panic attack.

"Pidove, are you okay?" asked Latias, concerned.

"I-I'm j-just really nervous," Pidove informed her. "I get n-nervous a lot..."

"Well, you'd better get over that soon, the competitors aren't going to like it if your nervousness prevents you from helping the team," Latios told him harshly. This looked like it made Pidove even more nervous, and he quickly flapped over to the other competitors, settling by Woobat and Mime Jr., who didn't look very threatening to Pidove.

"Next up, Garchomp! Where are you?" asked Latias to the crowd. A large, dark blue dragon Pokemon with sharp teeth and wings and a yellow, star-shaped patch on her head approached the hosts. She had a defiant, angry, and mean look in her eyes.

"I'm here," Garchomp growled. She gazed at the competitors. "Let's get this thing started," she added, a cruel grin starting on her face. "Wouldn't want to prevent any action from happening."

"Yes, indeed!" agreed Latias. "Now, we need Hoothoot!" she announced as Garchomp stomped into the crowd, settling near Numel.

"Oh, that's me," a small brown owl Pokemon with large red eyes noted. "Sorry about the holdup. I'm Hoothoot," she said, introducing herself. "Glad to be here, I've been wanting to enter one of these competitions for a while."

"Any particular reason?" asked Latias, interested.

"Just want to see how my wits hold me up in a game like this," Hoothoot responded. "Nothing wrong with that, right?"

"Not at all," said Latias. "Now you can go stand over there by the others. Smeargle, you're next!"

"Okay, I'm ready then!" said Smeargle, a white beagle Pokemon with a beret on her head and some green paint on her long tail. "Anyway, I'm Smeargle. I want to thank you guys so much for letting me be here; I never thought I'd be accepted."

"Well, you seem pretty artistic, and artistic people are big right now, so I'm sure you'll have loads of fans," said Latias generously. In fact, she didn't really know anything about Smeargle, but she appeared artistic, so Latias was just making guesses about her personality.

"Oh, I love making art," Smeargle agreed pleasantly. "It's my passion in life. There's nothing more powerful than making art from your own soul."

"Okay, enough art-speak, we have other competitors to introduce," Latios interjected impatiently, cutting her off. Smeargle gave him a look before shrugging and walking off. Meanwhile, Latias called up Tepig, the next competitor.

"Hi there," said Tepig, a small orange pig Pokemon with long ears and black legs. "Good to be here. I've always kinda wanted to try one of these shows."

"Awesome," said Latios. "Anything else?"

Tepig frowned. "I'll move along...I guess it's better I don't say too much right now."

"Yeah, Latios isn't super happy right now," Latias said confidentially. "Then again, he never is."

"I resent that," retorted Latios.

"You resent most people," Latias shot back. "And before we get into verbal conflict, let's get Spiritomb up here." Latios looked like he was about to say something but decided against it.

"Um, hey," said Spiritomb, a Ghost Pokemon that looked like a swirling purple vortex with a spooky green face hidden inside of a rock. "What's up?"

"Oh...hi, Spiritomb," said Latias, vaguely surprised at his polite response, since Spiritomb were usually somewhat evil Pokemon.

Spiritomb looked at her wearily. "Let me guess, you're surprised that I'm not going to spout some insane world-domination scheme because I'm a Spiritomb and we're known for being evil," he guessed.

Latias looked rather shocked. "I mean, yeah...somewhat."

"I've heard it all before. Species stereotypes are wrong. I'm not a bad guy," Spiritomb insisted. "Just give me a shot."

"Well, you're on the show, so we have no choice, technically," pointed out Latias.

Latios looked at Spiritomb with an approving look on his face. "Good for you, defying species stereotypes. It takes a lot of bravery to do that."

Spiritomb looked shocked at Latios's admiration, but he smiled. "Thanks." Then he hopped over to the crowd slowly, since his physical body was just a rock. Misdreavus soon floated over to him and they began talking.

"All right, Drapion, you're up!" announced Latias. A large scorpion Pokemon that looked completely different from Gligar walked up. She was large and purple, with four legs and two arms that extended directly from her head. The arms had very sharp and dangerous looking pincers on them, as did her tail. She had a somewhat neutral expression on her face that could be read as a frown as she got closer to the campers.

"I'm Drapion. Don't get in my way and I won't get in yours." This warning was all she gave before she walked over to the other campers.

"You could let us say something," Latias said, a bit ticked off. Drapion gave no indication that she heard, so Latias called up Wooper, the next camper, in defeat.

"Hi, guys!" he greeted the hosts. "I'm Wooper! I'm so excited for this competition! How cool is it that I get to be on a reality show, right?" he said enthusiastically. "This is just great. I'm sure I'll make lots of friends! They seem like a nice bunch, after all!"

"If you ignore Drapion, Garchomp, Numel, Cherubi, Graveler..." said Latios, snickering.

"Total Pokemon Island, here I come!" finished Wooper, walking over to the crowd.

"I like that one's spirit," commented Latias.

"He's okay," Latios agreed. "Who's up next?"

"Kingdra, apparently," said Latias. "Hey, Kingdra, you here?"

"Yes," said a blue seahorse Pokemon, who floated gracefully over to the hosts. Before she could start further, though, a voice came from the audience, saying "Wooper? Is that you?"

Wooper turned around. "Wynaut?"

"It is you!" shouted a small blue Pokemon, running from the crowd. He was tiny and blue, with happy looking eyes and a widely smiling mouth, as well as short legs.

"Wynaut!" Wooper repeated, running over to him. "It's so good to see you, buddy!"

"You too!" said Wynaut. "This competition is perfect now! I'm so lucky to be able to be on a show with my best friend!"

"You know each other?" asked Latios, surprised.

"Yeah, this is my best friend, Wynaut!" exclaimed Wooper. "I had no idea he was on the show! Wow! This is awesome!"

"I'm glad to be here!" said Wynaut, smiling even wider.

The blue seahorse Pokemon behind them cleared her throat. "Can I talk?" she asked.

"Sure!" said Wynaut happily, walking over to the crowd with Wooper. She cleared her throat again and began speaking.

"My name is Kingdra. I'm glad to be on the competition, and I have no intention of letting anyone else walk away with that million."

"Good," said Latias. "We encourage competition. You know, since we're running one."

If Kingdra found this at all funny, she gave no indication. Instead, she nodded at them and floated over to stand by the others.

"Uh, can we get Carnivine up here?" asked Latias. Suddenly, a large green Pokemon tackled her, shouting "Willewillewillewillewilleyeah!"

"AAAAH!" screamed Latias, visibly alarmed. "GET HIM OFF ME!"

"Hold your horses, weirdo," said Latios, using Psychic energy to pull Carnivine off of Latias. On closer inspection, he was a Venus flytrap looking Pokemon with a huge mouth and legs made out of vines. His face had a strange expression that could only be described as mild insanity on it. "What was that you said there?" Latios asked.

"Willewillewillewillewilleyeah!" Carnivine yelled. "It is the battle cry...OF MY PEOPLE! Actually, just me. I'm my people."

"Uh, cool. Go stand over there, and try to refrain from attacking the other competitors...yet," said Latios, a bit perturbed.

"Will do, dragon man! Willewillewillewillewilleyeah!" Carnivine shouted again before racing over to the other competitors.

"Now that you mention it, I think the interns did get a couple competitors from insane asylums," Latias admitted suddenly.

"I didn't admit it...but I'm not at all surprised," said Latios seriously. He checked the list. "Happiny, you're up next. And I hope to Arceus that you're normal."

A small pink Pokemon with red pants and a pink ponytail walked up, carrying a white stone. "Of course I'm normal!" she said indignantly. "I don't think most of us are like that...at least, not me."

"That's good," said Latias. "Frankly, I'm glad."

"Thanks," said Happiny, smiling. "Oh, but before we start the show, I'd like to inform everyone that I'm sponsoring the Pokemon Center! Please stop there if you're injured or need help. We're always glad to help!"

"Okay, two issues," said Latios. Happiny looked at him. "Yes?"

"Well, first off, no way you're old enough to work at the Pokemon Center. We picked teenagers, and no teenager can have qualifications to be a nurse."

"Well, I have an internship," explained Happiny. "But my whole family works there."

"And second, you guys kinda have a monopoly over the whole Pokemon health care thing so it's not like anyone really has a choice except to stop there if there injured."

Happiny frowned. "I'm not answering that." Then she walked over by the other competitors and settled down near Munna.

"Skitty, you're up! Welcome to the show!" said Latias. After she said this, a tiny pink cat Pokemon approached them, smiling pleasantly.

"Hey, everyone! I'm so glad to be here!" said Skitty. "I wasn't sure if you'd accept my application...I mean, I've never done anything big before...but this is kind of my way of plunging into the world. My parents always said the best way to experience the world is to experience it firsthand!" Then she paused. "Oh, Arceus, I'm sorry, did I ramble?" she said, looking ashamed. "I'm really sorry, sometimes I do that."

"No, you're fine," assured Latias.

"Oh, good...sorry for wasting your time then," said Skitty.

Latias gave her a look.

"I'm apologizing for everything now...I do that a lot," Skitty said apologetically. "Sorry."

Then she smacked her face with her tail and said "I'm gonna go stand over by the others before this gets any worse..." She walked over to the other competitors, standing by Glaceon.

"All right, Swellow, come on over!" said Latias. A dark blue bird Pokemon with powerful wings swooped down and landed between Latias and Latios, smiling.

"Hey, thanks for having me!" she greeted. "I'm Swellow, but you clearly knew that. I'm looking forward to this show, so thanks for having me. Seems like it'll be an adventure, and I love adventures!"

"Not sure if you're gonna like this adventure, but it's too late to back out now," chuckled Latios.

"I'm willing to risk it," said Swellow coolly. Then she flew over to the crowd, landing near Gligar.

"Let's get Buizel out here!" announced Latias. "Come on up, Buizel!"

"Haha, thanks!" said Buizel, an orange weasel Pokemon with what looked like a yellow inner tube around his neck. He was carrying a large surfboard. This time, many of the female Pokemon stared as many of the males had stared at Glaceon; many of them found him very attractive. "So, how are the waves here?"

"What?" asked Latias, confused.

"The waves. For surfing," Buizel elaborated.

"You know, when we looked into buying an island for a television show, the quality of its surfing wasn't exactly high on our priority list," said Latios, annoyed.

"You're right, sorry," conceded Buizel. "That was a stupid first question. Thanks for having me, though! It's just that I really like surfing, so I figured maybe I could try some out here."

"You'll be able to find out yourself, I'm sure," said Latias consolingly. "Now go stand over there, by the others."

"Gotcha," said Buizel, winking and flashing Latias a thumbs up, which she blushed at. Nidoran, Munna, Snivy, Happiny, and several other female competitors moved towards him when he arrived, though Munna and Snivy glared at each other as soon as they realized they had approached each other.

"Welcome, Marowak!" Latias announced, bringing forth another competitor. "Will we be done soon?" she asked Latios while waiting for Marowak.

"We're about halfway done," observed Latios. "This will be a long episode."

A brown Pokemon wearing a skull on his head and carrying a bone in his hand walked over and greeted the hosts. "Thank you for having me," he said formally. "I am Marowak. It's very good to be here. I only hope I can keep up with the competition."

"Judging by some of these Pokemon...it shouldn't be too hard," Latios told him.

"Well, I certainly hope they prove worthy competition-a game is most fun with stronger opponents, wouldn't you agree?"

"Actually, I just like to win," said Latios bluntly.

"Same," Latias admitted.

"To each their own," said Marowak, shrugging indifferently. He walked over to stand by the other competitors as Latias called Wormadam over. Wormadam was a small, bagworm-like Pokemon covered in a leafy dress.

"I certainly hope this episode will be over soon. We've been waiting here for a long time, and frankly, the behavior of some of these other competitors is atrocious!" she huffed.

"Yeah, sorry, we have lots more to introduce and there's nothing you can do about it," said Latias unsympathetically. "You can go stand over there if it would make you feel better."

"Not especially. I do hope your accommodations for us are appropriate as well," she added before haughtily moving over towards the other competitors.

"Appropriate for our budget," muttered Latias under her breath. Latios chuckled. "Mothim, come up here!" As a moth Pokemon with large yellow wings fluttered up, Latias's eyes opened wider. "Hold on, you wouldn't happen to be related to Wormadam here, would you?"

"Nope," said the moth, in a very relaxed tone. "Name's Mothim. It's totally chill to be here, dude. It's gonna be great in this competition. I'm hoping to meet some new friends, and maybe hook up with a girl, you know?"

"You're not the only one who wants that, Mothim. But welcome to the show!" said Latias.

"Thanks, man. Peace out," he said calmly before flying over to the others and settling down near Drapion, who initially looked upset, but eventually decided since he wasn't bothering her she didn't need to do anything about him.

"Glameow!" called Latias. Another cat Pokemon walked out of the crowd, this one gray. She had piercing eyes as she looked at the competitors, but her expression was friendly.

"Hi, I'm Glameow," she greeted the hosts warmly. "Uh, thanks for accepting me. I'm hoping to go far this time. I'm doing this for my friends, they wanted me to compete."

"Why?" asked Latios. "Did they want to get away from you for the summer?"

Glameow laughed, though Latios's comment was almost an insult. "Well, to be honest, they wanted me to get a boyfriend, but...honestly, I'll take the money too. Whatever works," she amended.

"Well, maybe you'll be lucky enough for both, Glameow. Only time will tell. And now, it's time to meet our next competitor, Luxray! Hello, Luxray!"

Luxray, a black and blue tiger Pokemon with spiky hair and eyes even more piercing than Glameow's, looked around at the other competitors. He appeared physically powerful and fairly attractive; Glaceon, who hadn't really been that interested in Buizel when he appeared, looked much more attentive towards Luxray (much to Jolteon and Aipom's disappointments). His eyes continued to sweep the other competitors until he reached Latias and Latios, who he gave a confident smile to.

"The name's Luxray," he said quickly. "I'm here to compete, and I'm going to go all the way to the top. No one's going to get in my way...so don't make an enemy of me," he said, eyes flashing. "I've done a lot of training, so you don't want to mess with me."

"We'll all keep that in mind, Luxray," said Latias. "Now go stand over there. We have to introduce Pidgeot. Pidgeot!"

After Latias called him, a tan bird with brown wings and bright yellow and red feathers cascading from his head flew over to Latias.

"Hello, lovely lady," he said, smiling at Latias. "And good sir," he added, looking at Latios. "Thanks for having me on the show. I promise I won't let you down."

"Thank you," said Latias, flattered. "Good to have you."

"Go over by the others, suck-up," said Latios.

"I'm just trying to be polite; no need to get offended," said Pidgeot, rolling his eyes. "But I'll go do that." As he flew away, Latias called for Shellos to go up.

"Coming!" called a female voice. "I'm sorry...I'm a tad slow."

A small, pink slug Pokemon came sliding toward them. Though she was slow, she had a kind smile on her face and smiled at everyone she passed.

"Well, I'm Shellos. I don't have a lot that I want to say, but I hope I win! I'm going to try my hardest!" she said with determination.

"Good, Shellos. I'm sure that will get you far," said Latias kindly. "Now let's bring up Cloyster!"

"Ah, yes," said a smooth voice in the crowd. "Now I can enact my plot to dominate the competition. First Total Pokemon Island, then the world! With all the money from the show I can build a death ray, and once I take out the-"

"Cloyster?" asked Latias in evident confusion. "Why are you discussing your plans for world domination on live television?"

"Ah, yes. Wrong place, wrong time," said Cloyster, who slowly hopped over to the hosts; he was contained in a large shell, leaving only his sinister, grinning face exposed, so he didn't move very fast, just like Shellos. "However, one day, I swear upon Arceus, you will all bow down to me and praise Cloyster, your king and savior, who rose up from the ashes to destroy the modern dynasty of reality television with his powers granted by the-"

"Cloyster, please move," groaned Latias, exasperated.

"I'm pretty sure the interns said they got him from juvie. He wants to conquer the world or something," Latios said thoughtfully.

"Ya THINK?" asked Latias sarcastically.

"Electrike, come on up," called Latios, since Latias was busy being annoyed. "How are you today?"

"Awesome!" exclaimed Electrike, a small green and yellow canine. "I can't wait to do this show. So many beautiful girls. Hmmm...which one to choose?"

"You joined this show...for the girls?" asked Latios. Then he stopped to consider. "That's probably actually a valid strategy. Good luck, man."

"Thanks," Electrike responded, strutting over to the crowd and flirting with Glaceon, Glameow, and Misdreavus.

"Okay, I'm done being annoyed," said Latias. "Rampardos, it's your turn! Welcome to Total Pokemon Island!"

"Thanks, Latias!" said Rampardos, a gray dinosaur with a hard, blue cranium. "I'm glad to be here! This show sounds like a great idea, and I can't wait to participate!"

"Good, then you'll like this show!" said Latias, smiling. "Now, you can go stand by the others, I guess."

"Sure," said Rampardos, smiling back.

"Next, I guess we have Flareon. Come on up!" Latias greeted.

A red canine Pokemon with a bushy yellow tail walked up, a humorous look in his eyes. He was followed by a similar looking blue Pokemon, but she had fins on her head, and no fur; instead she had a fish-like tail.

"Hey, I'm Flareon," said the red Pokemon, still grinning. "So, you're gonna laugh at this."

"What?" asked Latias warily, eyeing the blue Pokemon, who smiled at her.

"This is Vaporeon. Remember Plusle and Minun, how you didn't know siblings got on the show? Well, they weren't the only pair; Vaporeon is my twin sister too."

"Why does it matter if siblings get on the show anyway?" Vaporeon inquired curiously.

"Well, it increases your chance of getting the money, that's the primary reason," admitted Latias.

Flareon shrugged. "It's your fault for letting us both on the show. Not ours."

"Which intern was in charge of casting? I'm docking their pay," muttered Latios. Vaporeon laughed, and then flashed a smile into the audience, which Jolteon quickly returned. "Are there any more pairs of siblings in there?" Latios sighed. When no one responded, he allowed Latias to read the next name.

"Crawdaunt, you're up!" announced Latias. A red crustacean with a yellow star on his head walked over to the hosts.

"Aye, I be Crawdaunt, lass. Will we be done here soon?" he asked in a pirate voice.

Latias blinked. "Are you a pirate?"

Crawdaunt laughed. "Nay, that would be ridiculous, lass. Pirate! Ha!"

"Right. Of course," said Latias. "Um, we don't have too many more. We're more than halfway done."

"Thank ye much," replied Crawdaunt, hobbling over to the other competitors. Nidoran stared at him curiously, wondering if he actually was a pirate or not.

"Scizor, welcome!" announced Latias. A red bug with two shiny, large claws and a serious expression on her face walked up to the hosts, arms crossed.

"That's me. Thanks for having me on the show," she said expressionlessly. She gave off no outward sign of warmth, but she didn't have a mean aura like some of the other campers who had this; she just seemed to dislike showing off her emotions. "I'll be glad to start competing soon. Seems like a good concept for a show."

"Thanks, Scizor, I appreciate that. You can go stand over there, then," said Latias. Scizor nodded and walked off toward the other competitors.

"Slowking, you're next!" called Latias loudly.

"Golly, I can't wait," said a voice, dripping with cold sarcasm. A large pink Pokemon wearing a large shell crown on his head walked toward them very slowly. He had an expression of loathing in his eyes which didn't change as he looked at every camper. "You must be the hosts."

"Wow, Slowking, way to get into the game," said Latias, rolling her eyes.

Slowking fixed her with a cold stare. "I see no point getting into the game when most of us will leave the competition before long anyway. Additionally, it's not exactly going to help getting chummy with you when you've made it plain you couldn't care less who stays and who goes in this competition."

"Lovely, this one," said Latios. "Now leave, we don't like you either."

"Fine with me," drawled Slowking. He slowly walked over toward the other competitors as Latias called out for Bidoof to come up to introduce herself.

"BIDOOF!" shouted a small brown beaver Pokemon with large front teeth. She folded herself up into a ball and used Rollout to get over to the hosts. Latios had to back away so she didn't collide with him.

"Watch out, will you?" he exclaimed testily. "I'm not trying to die here!"

"Okay!" said Bidoof cheerfully in her high-pitched voice. "I won't kill you then! I'm Bidoof! I like using Rollout! Hope I can win!"

"Great," said Latias with little enthusiasm. "Now go get acquainted with your fellow competitors."

"Okay!" Bidoof repeated, shuffling over to meet some other Pokemon and immediately engaging in conversation with Flareon, who looked incredibly uncomfortable.

"Next, we've got Togetic," said Latias. A white fairy Pokemon with small wings and several blue and red patterns on her stomach flew up to the hosts and settled near them.

"Hi, my name's Togetic. Thanks for inviting me," she said calmly. "I was going to say something, but I feel like everyone else has taken everything I could have said...It's nice to be here though."

"You seem sane," commented Latios.

"I try," said Togetic politely. "Takes some work, though."

"Try not to get eliminated too early then; vote out Cherubi or Carnivine instead," suggested Latias.

"Can do," Togetic responded, before walking over to meet the other competitors.

"Deerling, welcome to the island!" Latias said, introducing a pink deer Pokemon with a yellow flower on her head. She also wore a headband around her head. She smiled in a friendly way as she approached the hosts.

"Hey, I'm Deerling!" she greeted. "I'm ready for the show! I love competitions, so this is a great way for me to test my skills."

"What's with the headband?" asked Latias curiously.

"Oh, that? I'm an athlete." Deerling said, laughing. "I wear it when I exercise. Which is a lot...I do some serious training."

"Then you'll do well with the physical challenges, I'm sure," said Latias. "All right, you can go stand over there.

"Cool," said Deerling, walking over to the others and standing by Skitty.

"Next, we'll have Patrat! Welcome to Total Pokemon Island!" said Latias, who had by now recovered from the annoyances of Slowking and Bidoof.

"Hi, guys-oops!" the brown rodent Pokemon with strange eyes said, tripping on a twig and falling face-first. Everyone laughed, and he stood up and blushed, embarrassed.

"Aww..." he said, disappointed. "I wanted to make a good entrance."

"Well, you failed," said Latios. "Now introduce yourself."

"I'm Patrat. I really wanted to be on the show, because I need to meet some new people! I hope I make friends and money. That would be nice."

"Anything's possible on this show...I mean, Cherubi got on..." said Latios.

"Good luck to you, then, Patrat," said Latias. "Now we'll introduce our next contestant."

"How many more?" asked Latios.

"Fifteen or so."

"Dang, we had a lot," said Latios, shocked.

"You're telling me. Anyway, come on up, Shroomish!"

A small yellowish mushroom Pokemon with green spots walked up to the hosts. "I really don't think I should be here," he said worriedly.

"What do you mean?" asked Latias.

"Well, there are some pretty crazy Pokemon here..." said Shroomish. "And I don't mix well with crazy Pokemon...

"What do you mean by that?" asked Latias.

"Can I leave?"

"No!" insisted Latias.

"Then you'll find out soon enough," sighed Shroomish, walking toward the crowd dejectedly. Suddenly, Carnivine picked him up and threw him at Rampardos, who recoiled in shock.

"I suspect that was it," Latios observed as Shroomish got up miserably.

"Maybe," Latias agreed. "Anyway, moving along. Kirlia!"

"Hey," said a green-and white Pokemon that looked like a ballerina, wearing a white dress. Her eyes were large and red, and her hair was green. She appeared very kind, but lacking some confidence. "Nice to be here. I'm Kirlia. I don't have a lot to say...I'm not sure how I'll do here, but I'm going to give it a shot."

"Well, that's all you can do," said Latias encouragingly.

Kirlia smiled. "Thanks." Then she walked over to the other competitors. Like Glaceon, she attracted a lot of attention from the male competitors, though unlike Glaceon, she appeared not to notice.

"And next is Jigglypuff!" said Latias. A small, round pink Pokemon with large eyes walked up to the hosts, smiling.

"Hi!" she greeted in a beautiful, musical voice. "My name's Jigglypuff. Um, I don't have a lot to say. I'd love to meet everyone though! I always love meeting new people!"

"Some of these you might not like so much, actually," said Latios.

"I'll give it a shot," said Jigglypuff, shrugging.

"Suit yourself," conceded Latios, gesturing for her to walk over to the other competitors. Jigglypuff walked over quickly, immediately striking up a conversation with Kirlia.

"Smoochum! You're up!" called Latias.

"OH ARCEUS NO!" exclaimed Shroomish.

"What?" asked Latias assertively.

"She tried to kiss all the guys while we were back there," Tepig explained.

Marowak nodded "He's telling the truth."

Flareon shivered. "It was horrid."

Snorlax frowned. "Normally I don't mind kissing...But I have to know the person first. And the way she goes about it is creepy."

"She's terrifying," agreed Buizel, eyes wide.

"Hi, guys!" Smoochum exclaimed, apparently oblivious to the conversation that had just happened about her. Then, she jumped up and kissed Latios on the cheek. He was surprised, until she said "Yummy!" and started chasing him around.

"STOP OR YOU'RE DISQUALIFIED!" shouted Latios in panic.

"Yeah, Smoochum, we need an intro," said Latias, not sure whether to laugh or be scared.

"Oh, fine," said Smoochum. "I just want kisses while I'm here! Lots of kisses! If I can get a boyfriend, that would be great. If not, no problem! No one minds kisses!"

"I beg to differ!" shouted Flareon.

"FLAREON!" shouted Smoochum, running into the audience. Vaporeon leaned over and whispered "Run," to her brother, which he did immediately, sneaking away, which was hard because all the guys were avoiding Smoochum.

"Okay, well, I'm sorry everyone, just remember, you can blame our interns for this, not us," said Latias.

"Easy for you to say, she's not gonna try and kiss you," said Latios, shivering.

"Anyway, next up is Pachirisu! Welcome to the show!"

"Awesome! Yay!" said Pachirisu, a white squirrel Pokemon with blue stripes. She spoke very quickly and bounced up and down in a hyperactive manner. "So glad to be here! Can't wait to compete! I'm liking this already! WHOO!" Then she walked over to stand by the other Pokemon, chatting with Minun.

"That was fast," said Latios, taken aback at her rapid-fire manner of speech.

"Yes. Yes it was," said Latias. "Oh, and next we have Politoed!"

"YAY!" said the green frog Pokemon. "I'm so excited!"

"Cool! How are you, Politoed?" asked Latias.

"Well, someone told me I'm an idiot," said Politoed. "I don't know what that means. Heh heh, means rhymes with beans. I like crackers. Are you an idiot? I wonder what a cloud is...there's a lot of things I don't know."

"...What?" asked Latias.

"Bye!" said Politoed, walking over to the crowd. He stepped on many Pokemon's feet, causing them to look angrily at him, but he didn't notice, instead singing an incredibly off-key song at the top of his lungs.

"For once in my life, I've got nothing to say," said Latias after a long silence. Latios nodded.

"Hey, guys, can you continue the introductions soon?" asked a voice. "There are only like nine more of us."

"Okay, sure. You can go next...Who are you?" asked Latias.

"Minccino," introduced the gray chinchilla Pokemon. "Nice to meet you all. I'll wish everyone good luck in this show!" she said, addressing the crowd, though by this point few people were paying attention to introductions. "That's it. Um, you can keep going."

"We will, with or without your permission," replied Latios. Minccino gave him an annoyed glare before walking over to the crowd.

"We'll have Weavile next!" announced Latias. A black weasel Pokemon with a red crest on her head and sharp white claws ran up to Latias incredibly fast. She had a stressed, tired, and annoyed look on her face.

"Thank Arceus! That creep wouldn't get away from me," she said. "I thought you'd never call me."

"What creep?" asked Latios, interested.

"Weavile! Weavile! Weavile!" called a voice from the audience.

Weavile pointed into the audience. "That one."

"Weavile!" called the Pokemon again. She was blue and had three cotton puffs growing out of the main part of her body, two of which functioned as arms. She ran up to Weavile and continued calling her name.

"She's been calling my name and asking for my autograph as if I'm famous since I got here. She WON'T STOP BOTHERING ME!" said Weavile, the last part sounding almost deranged.

"Are you famous?" asked Latias.

"No."

"Don't know what to tell you, then. Go over there," Latias offered helplessly. Weavile sighed and walked over to the others, followed by the blue Pokemon.

"Cotton puff!" shouted Latios. "Are you a competitor?"

"Oh, yeah! I'm Jumpluff!" she explained. "I can't believe I'm lucky enough to compete on a show with Weavile!"

"What's so special about Weavile?" Latias asked; unfortunately, Jumpluff hadn't heard this question as she was back to chasing Weavile, who was dodging between the other campers to avoid being seen.

"Let's have Cacnea up next," said Latias. A small green cactus Pokemon with a yellow crown on his head walked up.

"I'm Cacnea," he introduced himself. "Thanks for having me." Then he started walking to the other competitors.

"What, that's it?" asked Latios.

Cacnea shrugged. "If I last long enough on the show to make people care about what happens to me, then they'll know my personality without a description. If not, no point wasting their time."

Latias opened her mouth to object, but decided against it. "Go stand over there, then."

"My plan exactly," Cacnea said tonelessly, continuing to walk.

"All right, Azumarill, you're next," said Latias. A blue Pokemon with white spots and long bunny ears walked up to the hosts, flashing a dazzling smile.

"Hello, Latias and Latios," she greeted. "I'm Azumarill. I think I'm a great fit for this show. After all, these campers will be split into teams, and those teams will need leaders. I think I possess quite a few admirable qualities for becoming a team leader, if that's okay with them," she said, trying and failing to sound modest.

"We'll see what happens when we get teams, then," said Latias.

"Of course," agreed Azumarill. Then she smiled again at Latias and Latios and walked over to the other campers.

"We only have four campers left!" Latias exclaimed in excitement. She checked the list. "Ladies first. Welcome, Meditite."

A short Pokemon with large eyes walked up to the hosts. She was mainly blue, but had a white head and was wearing something that looked like a diaper.

"Is that a diaper?" Latios joked.

Meditite glared at him. "Whatever you do, do NOT. CALL IT. A DIAPER."

"Okay, okay," said Latios, calming down. Meditite glared at him again as she walked away.

"Diaper girl," he whispered when she was too far away to hear him.

"Ignoring Latios being rude...Haunter, you're next."

"Why, thank you," said Haunter, a purple ghost with a long tongue and hands floating separate from his body. "I'd rather not take too long introducing myself, though. Let's start with the rest of the show."

"No objection here," said Latios.

"Okay...then, Absol."

A wolf Pokemon with a large dark blue horn and white fur walked up to the hosts. "My name is Absol. I'll be competing here for however long I last," he said quietly, making no eye contact with anyone. He gave off the impression of being a bit of a loner.

"Okay, wow, everyone's giving really disappointing introductions now," said Latias, thoroughly annoyed. "Scraggy, you're the last one, so yours better be good."

"It will be!" said Scraggy. He was an orange-yellow lizard Pokemon with a large grin and very saggy pants. "I'm Scraggy, and I want to enjoy this competition as much as possible! I'm gonna make as many friends and have as much fun as possible! I liked Ludicolo's idea of parties; I'm all for it! Parties are my expertise," he boasted. "I can't wait to get the ball rolling."

"Good, Scraggy. Well, you're the last one. Now, we'll get to the rules of the competition," said Latias. "Campers, follow us," she said, as she and Latios drifted away from the area where the first part of the episode had been filmed. The other campers followed.

 **-static-**

"Here's one of our four important locations on this little...miniature tour thing we're doing," said Latias. "The cafeteria!"

"This will be one of your favorite places on the island," explained Latios. "Not only can you eat here, but it's a great place to hang out. Additionally, most challenges will be explained here; the one we're giving you later today is one such example. My kitchen is in the back, but under no circumstances are you allowed back there unless I give you explicit permission or there is a challenge which permits you to go back there. Only me, Latias, and the interns are allowed, and I don't even allow all the interns back there. Any questions?"

"Why can't we go to the kitchen?" asked Jigglypuff. "Is there something there we're not supposed to see?"

"Dead bodies?" Cloyster asked hopefully.

"No...it's just mine," Latios explained unhelpfully.

"Great explanation," Meditite said, rolling her eyes.

"Shut it, diaper girl."

"What did you just say?"

"Nothing."

"Moving on!" Latias interrupted. "There will be two teams in this game. We'll tell you the team names tomorrow. We have lots of small tables around so you can eat with your friends, and two bigger tables which will be used in some team challenges. Any questions?"

"I have one," said Scizor. "What about Mega Evolutions?"

"Hmm...how many of you can Mega Evolve?" asked Latias curiously.

Scizor, Absol, Garchomp, and Pidgeot raised their hands (or other limbs).

"Does Mega Evolution count if we're not at the stage to use it yet? I mean, I could evolve during the competition," said Haunter.

"No," Latias decided. "No Mega Evolution during this competition, or it will result in disqualification.

"Crap," muttered Garchomp. "It's more fun to pummel people as a Mega Garchomp."

Shroomish backed away nervously.

"Any more questions?" asked Latias.

"How are eliminations being handled?" Kricketune asked.

"Well, we're going to explain that next," said Latias, leaving the cafeteria.

"Follow along, children," added Latios, following after her. The campers all filed out.

 **-static-**

"This place is the campfire!" explained Latias.

"Oh, we get to roast marshmallows?" Wynaut asked, smiling.

"I mean, yeah, probably, but that's not the main purpose," said Latias, smiling back-it was hard not to like Wynaut.

"Yes, the main purpose here is that this will be the final destination for most Pokemon on the island before their elimination!" said Latios, pausing for dramatic effect. Nidoran and several other Pokemon gasped.

"How do eliminations work on this show?" asked Skitty.

"Well, after most challenges, there will be a winning team and a losing team. Usually, the penalty for the losing team is having to send home one of their members," explained Latias. "The way campers will usually leave is through voting. Each camper will be able to pick someone on their team that they want to eliminate, and from there, the Pokemon with the most votes will be sent home."

"It's not always going to be that easy," said Latios. "Sometimes, the best performing Pokemon on a team will get immunity. So, if you wanted to send them home, too bad-immunity means you're safe on the island for another round.

"Pretty powerful," said Buizel, impressed.

"It is. It won't be offered in every challenge, but when it is, it's something you want to have," Latias responded.

"What happens when the teams get too small to vote someone out?" asked Shellos.

"Well, eventually we're going to hit a merge-that is, the teams will be combined," Latios explained. "But here and there, we'll place some automatic elimination challenges, especially after the merge. Whoever does the worst will be sent home, no voting necessary!"

"Nice," commented Spiritomb. "That's a way to keep skilled players in the game, no doubt."

"It clearly takes a combination of skill and popularity to place well in this game," Marowak noted.

"Correct, Marowak," said Latias. "Anyway, back to discussions about the campfire. At each campfire, we'll pass out Poffins. If you receive a Poffin, you're safe and you won't be going home that night. But anyone who doesn't receive a Poffin is on the next boat out. Poffins basically symbolize your continuation in the game. Many challenges, we'll eliminate more than one competitor, but not all, and we'll eliminate fewer as the game goes on."

"I could use some Poffins right now," Snorlax moaned.

"Should have asked in the cafeteria," Latios pointed out. Snorlax moaned again.

"Two more locations," Latias promised. "Then you can have some Poffins, Snorlax."

Snorlax brightened and stopped moaning as the campers moved on.

 **-static-**

"Why on earth are we stopping at an outhouse?" asked Wormadam incredulously. "This is disgusting!" Bidoof wrinkled her nose in agreement.

"There are two actually, a guys' and girls' outhouse since there are so many of you," said Latias. "This is the guys' one...girls' is over there," she said, pointing. "Anyway, this outhouse has a double purpose...it serves as your confessional!"

"There's a camera in the outhouse," Hoothoot said flatly, turning the question into a statement of disbelief.

"Yeah! Great, huh?" said Latias.

"Seems to fit the budget of this show about right," said Graveler, snorting.

"Can't deny that," said Aipom, grinning.

"Shut up and listen," said Latios, aggravated.

"As I was saying, it's the confessional. You can confess your thoughts here, say whatever you want about whoever you want, or about how you like the game. It's a pretty handy feature, and the viewers love it. And don't worry, the outhouse is nicer than it looks on the outside. And somewhat soundproof-you have to be right up next to it to hear what someone's saying inside. Also, the clips in here are private, and we won't show them to anyone else on the island...as long as you don't give us reason to."

"You only have two toilets for 70 people?" asked Deerling skeptically. "That's not gonna work."

"Oh, yeah. The main bathrooms are next to the cafeteria. Sorry about that," said Latias. This statement was met with cheers from the campers and a "Willewillewillewillewilleyeah!" from Carnivine.

 **-static-**

"Finally, these are the cabins!" said Latias, gesturing to four cabins, two with a blue male sign on them and two with a pink female sign on them. "Boys, you get two cabins, and girls, you get another two. There are 20 beds in each cabin, as well as 1 bathroom, so you should all have more than enough space. We're gonna give you a chance to drop your stuff in these cabins and socialize before we start our first challenge. We'll get you your team names, so don't worry about that."

"What are the teams going to be?" asked Cacnea.

Surprisingly, Slowking answered the question. "Well, judging by the Pokemon mascots we saw as we walked by, which you somehow missed, they were a Reshiram and a Zekrom, one near each cabin, so logically-"

"SHUT. UP. SLOWKING," seethed Latias. "But yes, you're correct."

"Let's just read the teams off now," suggested Latios.

"Good idea," agreed Latias. "You can do the first one."

"The team with the Reshiram statue outside will be the Fiery Reshirams. It will consist of Jolteon, Patrat, Numel, Cloyster, Bidoof, Mudkip, Pidgeot, Meditite, Luxray, Woobat, Mime Jr., Smoochum, Cherubi, Crawdaunt, Smeargle, Ludicolo, Oshawott, Happiny, Wynaut, Vaporeon, Glameow, Pidove, Absol, Kingdra, Mothim, Tepig, Marowak, Azumarill, Glaceon, Spiritomb, Scraggy, Meowth, Kricketune, Carnivine, and Aipom," announced Latios.

Aipom and Mudkip grinned at each other, happy they were on the same team. Glaceon glanced at Luxray hopefully. Azumarill nodded, seeing some strong players on the team. However, other campers were not thrilled. Wynaut was sad that Wooper was on the other team, while Vaporeon was sad that Flareon had been placed on the other team.

"Are there going to be any team switches?" asked Vaporeon hopefully, looking at Flareon.

"Nope! Not this season!" said Latias cheerfully. "Anyway, time for the other team. You guys will be the Stormy Zekroms. Snorlax, Flareon, Jigglypuff, Slowking, Shellos, Drapion, Graveler, Weavile, Munna, Rampardos, Swellow, Politoed, Skitty, Deerling, Wormadam, Plusle, Haunter, Scizor, Hoothoot, Snivy, Togetic, Nidoran, Cacnea, Jumpluff, Gligar, Shroomish, Buizel, Garchomp, Wooper, Minccino, Kirlia, Pachirisu, Electrike, Misdreavus, and Minun will be on this team."

There were mixed reactions about this team as well. Plusle and Minun ran toward each other and high-fived, while Snivy and Munna looked away from each other in disgust. Flareon and Wooper looked similarly disappointed to Vaporeon and Wynaut, while Weavile looked like she'd rather be anywhere but on the same team with Jumpluff.

Electrike nodded approvingly and strolled up to Minccino. "Hey, gorgeous."

"Who are you?" asked Minccino.

"Electrike...and your future boyfriend," Electrike said in a voice he hoped was seductive.

"Yeah...no," said Minccino, turning away. Electrike frowned-he would have to up his game.

Meanwhile, with the Reshirams, Tepig laughed. "Wow, Meditite, it really does look like you're wearing a diaper."

Several seconds later Tepig was lying 10 feet away, unconscious due to Meditite's punch.

"Whoa, calm down there," said Jolteon.

"Nobody calls it a diaper," Meditite raged.

Absol picked up Tepig and put him on his back. "I'll carry him until he wakes up."

Marowak walked over to help. "I'll bring his luggage to the cabin," he added.

"All right, campers!" announced Latias. "Get ready! I want to meet you in the cafeteria in twenty minutes for the challenge! We'll make an announcement when we need you!"

With that, she and Latios teleported away.

"I wish I could teleport," said Patrat, shaking his head sadly.

"I like pellytorking," said Politoed cluelessly, giggling while saying it. Togetic stared at him for a second, then shrugged, walking to the cabin.

 **-static-**

 **"I don't have a lot to say about this place," admitted Togetic. Then she reconsidered. "On second thought, it's really weird."**

 **-static-**

 **"I gotta win over Minccino! She's the prettiest girl on the island!" Electrike insisted.**

 **-static-**

 **"I really wanted to be on the same team as Wooper," said Wynaut. "Oh well. Maybe if we hit the merge we can work together!"**

 **-static-**

 **"I plan on studying the competition and deciding who would be the biggest threats," explained Azumarill. "Then, I'll just eliminate them. It's that simple."**

 **-static-**

 **"I'm gonna blow up the competition," Cherubi announced, smiling devilishly.**

 **-static-**

 **"Why do the psychos always go after me?" asked Shroomish. "What did I do to deserve this?"**

 **-static-**

 **"I work best alone. I don't want to get close to anyone in the competition. I don't want to risk hurting them—or myself—through elimination...or any other circumstance," said Absol quietly. "It's not worth it."**

 **-static-**

 **"I don't hate other people, I just find them annoying and tedious," said Drapion. "But if they leave me alone, we'll all get along fine for sure."**

 **-static-**

 **"That Pidgeot is pretty attractive," murmured Swellow. "Too bad he's on the other team..."**

 **-static-**

 **"Swellow is very pretty, but she's on the other team," said Pidgeot. "I didn't come here for a relationship, but it's hard to deny the charm...Adventurous, brave girls are definitely my type."**

 **-static-**

 **"I'm gonna start looking for the money! Maybe I can find it and escape the island with it, and no one will ever know!" Meowth exclaimed excitedly. Then he paused. "Wait, if I just said that in the confessional...oh...Latias and Latios are gonna see this, aren't they?"**

 **-static-**

 **"Kill me now," moaned Weavile. "I can't handle this. Jumpluff is going to break me."**

 **-static-**

In the Reshirams' boys' cabin, Jolteon chuckled as he inspected the hosts' schedule for the next challenge. He had swiped it off of Latias while she had been explaining things in the cafeteria. The first challenge seemed intimidating, but he was confident he could handle it.

"What are you looking at?"

Jolteon looked up and saw Luxray staring down at him. "Nothing," Jolteon said defensively.

Luxray's eyes narrowed. "Latias was holding that. How did you get it?"

"I took it from her," he said, rolling his eyes. "It's a challenge summary for the next challenge. Want to know what it is?"

"You took that from Latias?" he asked, ignoring the question. "What are you, a thief?"

Jolteon considered. "I guess, technically, yeah. I don't even really know how to read this thing, so it's not helping me. But I was gonna give it back.

"Good," said Luxray, but he didn't look like he meant it. He walked away.

"What's his problem?" Jolteon muttered quietly.

 **-static-**

 **"As someone who intends to go into police training, let's just say I have a natural dislike of thieves," said Luxray, his eyes flashing dangerously. "I don't think the competition will go too well for Jolteon after this."**

 **-static-**

"This bed was mine!"

"No, I was here first, idiot."

"I'm not an idiot! And I was definitely here first!"

In the Zekroms' girls' cabin, Gligar groaned. Munna and Snivy would not shut up. Hoothoot walked over and took the bed closest to Gligar.

"You think they're gonna stop soon?" asked Hoothoot.

"Not likely," Gligar stated in a sad tone. "Unfortunately."

Suddenly a stomping noise was heard and Munna and Snivy's arguing stopped quickly. "What the-" Gligar began, before turning around with Hoothoot.

"If you two do not SHUT UP...I will beat the crap out of you," growled Garchomp. "I'm not afraid to do it...in fact, I'd like to do it. So don't give me a reason."

"Deal," said both Snivy and Munna in unison. After that, they both left the bed, heading for opposite sides of the room. Garchomp shrugged and took the bed they had both left empty, placing her stuff next to it.

"That's one way to deal with that," said Hoothoot. Gligar nodded with a smile. Then the two heard a voice on the intercom.

"CAMPERS! IT'S LATIAS! REPORT TO THE CAFETERIA! YOUR CHALLENGE IS ABOUT TO START!"

 **-static-  
**

Okay, well, that's it! The first chapter is done. Hopefully you enjoyed it! The next chapter should be out soon and it will feature the first challenge.

If you have any questions, feel free to put them in the review or send them to me in a private message. I'll make sure I address them. As long as it's not major spoilers, that's fine.

Many eliminations in this show will be double or even triple due to the large cast. The next episode will be one such episode.

I'll try to post something on my account soon detailing the characters' personalities. I know it's a lot to get used to seventy characters in such a short amount of time, but this story is going to be a lot about development, and you'll soon have some favorites...and least favorites.

At the suggestion of Outcast Hero, I'm posting a list of the team members at the end of each chapter! Hopefully, this will help you get acquainted.

Fiery Reshirams (35 members):

Absol, Aipom, Azumarill, Bidoof, Carnivine, Cherubi, Cloyster, Crawdaunt, Glaceon, Glameow, Happiny, Jolteon, Kingdra, Kricketune, Ludicolo, Luxray, Marowak, Meditite, Meowth, Mime Jr., Mothim, Mudkip, Numel, Oshawott, Patrat, Pidgeot, Pidove, Scraggy, Smeargle, Smoochum, Spiritomb, Tepig, Vaporeon, Woobat, Wynaut

Stormy Zekroms (35 members):

Buizel, Cacnea, Deerling, Drapion, Electrike, Flareon, Garchomp, Gligar, Graveler, Haunter, Hoothoot, Jigglypuff, Jumpluff, Kirlia, Minccino, Minun, Misdreavus, Munna, Nidoran, Pachirisu, Plusle, Politoed, Rampardos, Scizor, Shellos, Shroomish, Skitty, Slowking, Snivy, Snorlax, Swellow, Togetic, Weavile, Wooper, Wormadam

Preview for next chapter: Next chapter, many campers must be willing to take a huge risk if they want to stay on the competition. Many campers have to face up to their fears in order to stay in the game. One camper is unable to handle the task at hand, while another camper pays for their lack of help to the team.

I stole this idea from Dark Amphithere but...at the end of every episode, characters will ask you to review! Do it for your favorites! (And least favorites. Please review!)

Latias: Review, lovely audience! Without you, this show would never stay on air!

Latios: Yes, review, we're completely dependent on your opinions...


	2. Diving Toward Doom?

Hello, everyone! Welcome back to Total Pokemon Island! Excited for the latest update? Me too. Let's get going.

 **-static-**

"Welcome to Total Pokemon Island!" Latias announced to the camera. "Last episode, we took care of introductions, introducing seventy campers to the island! Then, they were split into two teams-the Fiery Reshirams and Stormy Zekroms. Now, we're calling both teams over to compete in the first challenge, which you'll see shortly."

"I see them walking over now," observed Latios.

"Great! Let's take care of this, then," said Latias brightly.

 **-static-**

"Are we starting now?" asked Deerling anxiously. "I've been ready."

"I can't wait!" said Pachirisu, bouncing up and down. Numel rolled his eyes.

"Yes, we're starting, no need to panic," said Latios, eyeing the campers. "Or do whatever you're doing," he added hastily, looking at Pachirisu, who stopped bouncing and frowned.

Latias performed a quick head count. "We're two short on the Zekroms. Who's missing?"

"I think I know," Scizor said after looking around. "I'll be right back."

 **-static-**

 **Weavile stood shaking in the confessional. "Is she still outside? I think she's gone-"**

 **A loud cry of "Weavile! Weavile! Weavile!" occurred from outside.**

 **"Screw you, Jumpluff," said Weavile, annoyed.**

 **Suddenly, the door burst open and Scizor burst in, arms folded. "Weavile, the challenge is starting. Get out of the confessional. You too, Jumpluff."**

 **"No, please don't make me!" Weavile begged, as Jumpluff told Scizor "Oh, I'm just waiting for Weavile."**

 **Scizor rolled her eyes and grabbed Weavile, dragging her out of the confessional despite her continued protests.**

 **-static-**

"I'm back," announced Scizor, carrying a distressed-looking Weavile and walking next to a happy-looking Jumpluff.

"Great," said Latias. "Then let's begin."

"Over there," said Latios, pointing, "is the island's cliff. Today, you will all be jumping off it!"

"Ha ha, what's the actual challenge?" asked Scraggy jokingly.

"That is the actual challenge."

"You're actually making is jump off a cliff?" said Scraggy, gaping.

"There's water beneath," Latias interjected. "You're diving into a little lake."

"So we won't die!" said Wooper optimistically.

"Nope!" assured Latias.

"Cool," said Wooper.

"And if we refuse to jump?" asked Flareon.

"Well, we initially weren't planning on doing this," said Latios, eyes glaring meanly. "But seeing as none of you have a fatal weakness to water, we'd appreciate it if you'd all dive. If not, there's a penalty."

"And that is?" asked Tepig, looking similarly defiant to Flareon.

"Oh, just automatic elimination," said Latias conversationally.

Everyone gasped.

"Well, this puts a twist in the pantyhose," said Cloyster.

"Automatic elimination?" repeated Patrat, eyes wide.

"You wouldn't," challenged Meditite.

"Oh, we would, Meditite," Latias answered. "I'd dive if I were you. Meet us up there."

"Oh, I forgot to mention, we still have an elimination ceremony after you dive. You better try to convince everyone on your team to dive, or you'll lose," Latios added.

"How do we know which team is the losing team?" complained Spiritomb.

"The team who gets less points. There are two rings in the water—if you land in the smaller one, you gain two points, and if you land in the larger one, you gain one. If you land outside, you get to stay in the competition, but you don't get any points," explained Latias.

"Are there going to be a lot of challenges where you're automatically eliminated if you don't do them?" asked Kirlia nervously.

"No," Latias promised. "We're doing this to weed out the wimps—we can afford to because we have enough competitors that we're willing to bet most of you will do it."

"Aye, ye bet right," said Crawdaunt confidently. "Come on, team! Time to walk the plank!"

 **-static-**

 **"I didn't know there were still pirates," Wynaut stated in wonder.**

 **-static-**

"Well, guys, we better all try to do this," said Glameow, facing her team, the Reshirams. Crawdaunt nodded in approval. Both teams had walked over to the cliff and were discussing what they would do.

"I can do this," said Smeargle, shrugging after peering over the side.

"It certainly won't kill us," agreed Kricketune.

Meowth shivered. "I hate water."

Glameow winced. "So do I, but we have to stay in the competition. There's no choice here. So we might as well get as many points as possible." Meowth nodded unsurely but didn't look convinced.

The Zekroms were also discussing strategy.

"So, um, what's the game plan?" asked Jigglypuff, looking around at her team.

"What's an idiot?" asked Politoed.

"Okay, seriously, you've been asking that for the past twenty minutes and we've all explained it to you," said Misdreavus tiredly. Politoed walked up to Misdreavus and bit her, before running off. She shrieked and glared after him.

 **-static-**

 **"Okay, I knew there was gonna be some weird crap on this show, but WHAT THE HECK?" Misdreavus asked loudly.**

 **-static-**

"We'll send some Pokemon over first, but keep some confident Pokemon back to reassure those who are scared," said Graveler. "Unless anyone has a better idea…Don't think there is one."

"I like it," said Wooper conversationally.

"It could work," agreed Minun.

"And we'll be voting you out if that plan fails, I assume?" Wormadam inquired snobbishly.

Graveler folded his arms and glared at her.

 **-static-**

 **"The brute," muttered Wormadam in the confessional.**

 **-static-**

"Well, campers, I'd get jumping if I were you, time is ticking," said Latios.

"WILLEWILLEWILLEWILLEWILLEYEAH!" shouted Carnivine, leaping over the edge.

"He landed in the inner ring, so…two points for the Reshirams," she commented.

"I'll increase that number!" shouted Oshawott, running forward and jumping into the pool. He only scored one point, but he swam out quickly and waited at the bottom with Carnivine.

Azumarill shrugged. "It can't be that bad." Then she jumped over the edge, plummeting into the two-point zone.

"And the Reshirams now have 5 points," said Latias, impressed. "It's hard to land in that two-point zone, but Carnivine and Azumarill have already done it. Do we have a Zekrom who will go?"

"I'll go," growled Garchomp, pushing forward through the crowd. She jumped, but only landed in the one point zone.

"I'll go next!" exclaimed Wooper. Unfortunately, while running off the cliff, he tripped, landing in the zero-point section. Some of the Zekroms looked annoyed.

 **-static-**

 **"He could have made a better jump if he hadn't tripped," criticized Drapion.**

 **-static-**

Vaporeon walked over to her brother, who was trembling. Despite being on opposite teams, she knew she had to help him jump-if he didn't do this, he would leave the competition.

"Hey…you think you can jump?" she asked. Flareon's eyes were big and he was breathing deeply.

"Not really," he responded quietly.

"Let's try it together," said Vaporeon.

Flareon nodded. "Okay, let's do this."

Next to him, Skitty overheard Vaporeon's pep talk to her brother. "Hey, you can do it," she said encouragingly to Flareon, who smiled back at her.

 **-static-**

 **"I hate water too," admitted Skitty, shivering. "But hearing Vaporeon talk to Flareon about it made me feel a little better."**

 **-static-**

While Vaporeon and Flareon had been talking, Scizor scored the Zekroms two points, while Plusle and Minun had earned them one each. Weavile had run over the edge as well to avoid Jumpluff, but she had miscalculated the distance and ended up scoring zero points, with Jumpluff following immediately after her. However, they weren't winning—Crawdaunt had scored the Reshirams another two points, while Mime Jr., Meditite, and Bidoof had scored one apiece. Spiritomb had jumped as well, but his body structure made it impossible to jump well, so he ended up with nothing.

Vaporeon walked up with Flareon and Skitty. "We're going next."

Latias checked the list. "All right, one Reshiram and two Zekroms. Good luck."

Flareon closed his eyes and held his breath, then ran forward and jumped, feeling Vaporeon next to him and knowing Skitty was on the other side. He let out a loud scream as he felt the air rushing past him and heard Skitty do the same thing. When they landed in the water, Vaporeon helped them get to shore, since neither could swim. Flareon and Skitty looked at each other with wide eyes and terrified expressions. Then, they heard clapping from their team and knew they had done pretty well. Even some of the Reshirams were clapping.

"How did we do?" asked Flareon.

"One point each," said Scizor. "Not bad."

Flareon let out a sigh of relief.

 **-static-**

 **"That was the most terrifying thing I've ever done in my life," admitted Flareon. "But knowing that people appreciated and supported me in doing it helped a lot afterward."**

 **-static-**

 **"I'm not sure I'd be able to face my fear that easily," said Plusle.**

 **-static-**

 **"He may not be on my team, but I respect that jump," said Kricketune. "I understand how hard it must have been for him to do that. He gets respect in my book."**

 **-static-**

"Well, everyone, the totals are seven points for the Zekroms and eleven for the Reshirams!" announced Latias. "Zekroms, pick up the pace!"

"Any one of you slackers want to go?" said Latios, looking at the Zekroms.

"I'll do it," responded Drapion expressionlessly. She performed a pretty good dive and landed in the two-point section.

"Um, weird question," said Shellos awkwardly. "I kinda stick to the ground, so it's hard for me to jump…can someone, like, pick me up and drop me off the edge?"

"Sure, I was thinking of going next anyway," said Rampardos, smiling at her.

"Aren't you afraid of water?" asked Shellos, surprised that a Rock-type would be so willing to go.

"Not really," said Rampardos. "I used to be, but I conquered my fear after learning to swim. It went pretty well."

"Let's go, then!" cheered Shellos. Rampardos picked her up and ran off the edge. He realized he wouldn't make it into either of the point sections, but he threw Shellos as he was descending, allowing her to get one point. The team cheered for this as well.

 **-static-**

 **"That was really cool of him to not only carry me off the cliff, but make sure I got points, even if he couldn't," said Shellos, smiling.**

 **Then she paused. "I can't believe I'm thanking someone for dropping me off a cliff and throwing me. This would only happen on reality TV."**

 **-static-**

 **"Nice strategy," admired Swellow.**

 **-static-**

Right after that, Smeargle, Mudkip, and Jolteon jumped for the Reshirams. Smeargle and Jolteon got one point each, but Mudkip didn't jump far enough and therefore got zero points. However, since the Reshirams were winning, no one seemed that upset.

"You ready to go?" Scraggy asked Aipom.

Aipom shrugged. "Can't be that bad. Mudkip said it should be safe."

Scraggy grinned. "Mudkip seems like a cool guy…odd, with that camera, but pretty cool. You too."

"Thanks," said Aipom, grinning back. "Good that we're on the same team then."

"Agreed," said Scraggy.

Meanwhile, Munna and Snivy were arguing.

"You think you're so great? Then prove it!" hissed Munna.

Snivy smirked. "Come at me."

Munna charged at Snivy, who moved over. Munna realized, a few seconds too late, that she had charged over the cliff. She slowed her descent with her psychic powers, but she was still annoyed with Snivy and growled at her in frustration. Snivy grinned and jumped off the cliff, landing in the one point section. Munna managed to land in the two point section with her psychic powers. Then, as Snivy was swimming to shore, Munna used Psychic on a log and hit Snivy on the head with it. Snivy glared at her but swam to shore without another word.

 **-static-**

 **"You have no idea how much I hate her," Snivy seethed.**

 **-static-**

 **"Gosh, who could have thrown that log that hit poor Snivy in the head?" questioned Munna in a mocking voice. Then she laughed. "That felt good."**

 **-static-**

Aipom and Scraggy dived next, getting one point each for the Reshirams. However, Pachirisu spontaneously jumped over the edge for the Zekroms, doing a backflip in midair before gracefully landing in the two-point zone.

Latios calculated the points again. "Wow…both teams are tied now. This could get pretty close in the end. Who's jumping next?"

"Come on, guys, let's keep our leading score!" encouraged Vaporeon from the bottom of the cliff.

"Let's win!" called Rampardos to the Zekroms. "We're finally caught up!"

"I'll jump next," said Gligar, walking forward out of the crowd of the Zekroms. She braced herself for the jump and then jumped. Unfortunately, the shape of her wings meant that they caught wind easily, and there was a fairly strong breeze blowing at the moment she jumped. Therefore, she was blown into the side of the cliff easily after jumping.

"Ow!" she exclaimed at the impact. She slid down the rest of the way, dazed, and landed in the lake far from either of the point zones.

 **-static-**

 **"Not my crowning moment," said Gligar, covering her face in the confessional and looking ashamed.**

 **-static-**

 **"Yikes…must be hard having wings like that," said Snorlax, grimacing.**

 **-static-**

"Oh Arceus, oh Arceus, oh Arceus-"

"Are you okay?" asked Woobat. She heard Pidove's voice next to her. He had been saying things like this for a while. Though she couldn't see him, she had used her echolocation and realized he was shaking heavily, probably out of fear. "You've been saying that for a while…"

"No…not really," said Pidove truthfully.

"Are you afraid of the dive?" asked Woobat sympathetically.

Next to her, Pidove nodded. When he remembered that she probably couldn't see him doing that, he hastily responded, "Yes."

"It can't be that bad," said Woobat consolingly. "Lots of others have done it!"

"I know…" said Pidove, in a voice that showed he still didn't believe he could do it.

"How about we try it together?" asked Woobat.

"T-together?" stuttered Pidove. He was shocked that she would ask that.

"Yes, together," Woobat repeated. "I can be there to boost your confidence, and you can help direct me away from any obstacles that I might not see."

"O-okay," Pidove responded. He felt a little bit comforted by the fact that, although he would be terrified, at least Woobat would do it with him.

He led her to the cliff. "Well, here we are."

"Let's jump in three seconds," said Woobat. She began counting. "Three…two…one."

The pair jumped.

"And four more points to the Reshirams!" said Latias.

"You know, I didn't think that Pidove would be able to do it," remarked Latios.

"Just goes to show, never judge a book by its cover…or a bird," added Latias.

 **-static-**

 **"I-I didn't think I could do it! But I did!" said Pidove, looking excited. "I really did! I can't believe Woobat helped me so much."**

 **"She's really kind…and kind of pretty too," he added. "Oh no, please don't tell her I said that!" he shouted fearfully.**

 **-static-**

 **"Pidove's a really nice guy, and I think he could go far. He just needs to believe in himself," said Woobat, smiling. "He seems to be afraid of a lot…but he just overcame one fear!"**

 **-static-**

"I absolutely will not jump into that water!" exclaimed Wormadam.

"We need the points," said Kirlia, exasperated. "We need to win!"

"And you won't stay in the competition if you don't jump," pointed out Minccino. Wormadam looked doubtful after this but didn't move.

"Screw this," muttered Slowking. He used his telekinesis to levitate Wormadam over the edge, dropping her over into the two point section. Slowking himself jumped immediately after and earned no points, but he did earn some respected stares from his fellow competitors.

 **-static-**

 **Misdreavus laughed in the confessional. "Man, I didn't think I'd like that Slowking…but seeing him launch Wormadam over the side…that was satisfying."**

 **-static-**

 **"That Slowking…ugh! I'm voting him out tonight!" vowed Wormadam angrily.**

 **-static-**

"Ugh, screw this," said Tepig. "I'm scared, but if I don't jump, I won't stay in, and there's no way I'm letting that happen."

He jumped, but didn't go very far; his jump scored zero points. However, Luxray's jump followed immediately after and made up for Tepig's bad jump; he scored the Reshirams two points.

"Are you okay?" asked Jigglypuff, looking over at Nidoran, who was trembling.

"I don't know if I can do this," she responded, looking Jigglypuff in the eyes.

Jigglypuff sighed. "Come on, Nidoran, you have to try! You'll be automatically eliminated if you don't! You can't let that happen!"

"You're right," said Nidoran glumly. "But it's so far!"

"Well, I can't argue with you there…" agreed Jigglypuff.

"Excuse me," said Deerling, walking past. "I need to jump."

"Oh, sorry," apologized Nidoran and Jigglypuff together, backing away. Deerling jumped, but stumbled, scoring only one point.

"The Reshirams are now beating the Zekroms by three points!" announced Latias. "It's twenty one to eighteen!"

"Who's up next?" Latios asked. Absol walked forward silently, making no eye contact with anyone. He scored a perfect two.

 **-static-**

 **"Absol seems to be a good competitor…but he sure doesn't say much," Glameow commented.**

 **-static-**

Glaceon went after Absol, attempting to increase the Reshirams' lead. However, she miscalculated the angle of her jump; she just barely missed the one-point section, but she still got zero points for the team. Patrat leaped off after, but he also landed in the zero point section. Luckily, Wynaut continued the Reshirams' winning streak with another perfect score.

"Ugh, I'm getting fed up with this, I'm jumping," muttered Graveler.

 **-static-**

 **"I may hate water, but I hate losing more," Graveler grumbled in the confessional.**

 **-static-**

Unfortunately for the Zekroms, Graveler only gained them one point, as did Cacnea, who jumped right after. The Zekroms were now five points behind.

"We'd better not lose," growled Garchomp from down below.

"Hopefully more people will jump…that's our only shot," said Flareon.

Meanwhile, Mudkip cheered on his team, the Reshirams, with calls of "Keep up the good work!"

"I might as well go next," Kingdra offered. She set herself at the edge of the cliff and calculated the angle of her drop. After she jumped, she only got one point, but she was very close to the two point zone. Electrike dived next, also getting one point, not bringing the total any closer.

"I might as well go, mon," said Ludicolo, shrugging to Kricketune.

"I'll go too," offered Kricketune. However, Cherubi pushed past him, dropping bombs which exploded in midair as she jumped. She got one point.

"How did she get onto this show?" muttered Ludicolo.

"No idea," sighed Kricketune. "Let's just go." Both of them jumped; Ludicolo got one point, Kricketune got none.

"We need to catch up," said Minccino, looking at the rest of the Zekroms. "Is anyone thinking of not going?"

Shroomish and Nidoran nodded.

"Just remember Smoochum's still up here," Minccino pointed out, looking at Shroomish. His eyes darted over to the Reshirams' side of the cliff, where Numel was currently using Ember on Smoochum.

"I'll go," said Shroomish in a strangled voice. He jumped off the cliff, getting one point.

 **-static-**

 **"Sometimes, you need to use harsh persuasion," admitted Minccino. "It worked, so no harm done."**

 **-static-**

"Come on, Nidoran, you've got to go!" insisted Jigglypuff, as Snorlax jumped, getting two points for the Zekroms.

"I know…" said Nidoran, not moving any closer.

"We're catching up," observed Swellow. "Only four points behind."

"Let's even that out," suggested Hoothoot, stepping forward. "I'll go next."

"Good luck," murmured several campers near her. She jumped off the cliff, earning no points, since her aim had been off.

 **-static-**

 **"It's harder than you'd think to land within a circle," said Hoothoot seriously.**

 **-static-**

"Are you planning on going soon?" Pidgeot asked, walking up to Swellow, though they were on opposite teams.

"Yeah, I might as well," she replied. Part of the reason she hadn't gone was that she wanted to talk to Pidgeot before jumping.

"I'm sure you'll do well," he responded, smiling at her.

She smiled back. "We Flying-types do have an advantage in this challenge, since we can glide."

"Agreed," said Pidgeot. "Well, I wish you good luck."

Then he paused. "Want to jump together?'

Swellow was startled, before recovering her composure. "Sure! I mean, okay. Sounds good."

 **-static-**

 **"I didn't sound too enthusiastic, did I?" she asked rhetorically, a worried look on her face.**

 **-static-**

Both birds jumped down together and got two points. Unfortunately, this kept the score similar to what it was before.

"Thirty for the Reshirams, twenty-six for the Zekroms!" Latios shouted.

"Screw this, I'm getting this over with," muttered Misdreavus, floating off of the edge of the cliff. Being able to Levitate, she easily scored two points.

"Oh, yeah, I can do that too," realized Haunter. "See you later, everyone. Good luck!" Haunter drifted down and also scored two points.

"The score is…even now," said Latios, shocked.

"You're actually tied now," Latias agreed. "Keep up the good work. This will be a close game."

The Reshirams had eight people left, while the Zekroms had seven.

"All right, guys, who's going?" asked Glameow.

"I'll be going," responded Marowak. "I only stayed up here to help you convince everyone else to go."

"I'm going," Happiny added.

"Me too," nodded Mothim.

"All right then…we have Numel, Cloyster, Smoochum, and Meowth. What about you?"

"I'll go if Meowth goes!" shouted Smoochum, running up to the cat. He panicked and ran away, over the edge of the cliff. Smoochum jumped off after him. Meowth got one point while Smoochum got none, but for a Pokemon who didn't know how to swim, he got out of the water surprisingly fast.

Everyone stared at the scene that had just occurred between Meowth and Smoochum. Then Cloyster broke the silence by shouting "COWABUNGA!" and leaping over the edge of the cliff. Surprisingly, he got two points, and the Reshirams applauded him.

"What about you, Numel?" asked Glameow.

"Meh. Sure. Why not."

"Great," said Glameow, glad that Numel was going even if he had a rather sassy response.

With the Zekroms, things weren't going so well.

"Ow! What are you doing?" cried Jigglypuff as Politoed suddenly slapped her.

"Hi cupcake!" he said, giggling. Jigglypuff backed away strangely.

"I've had enough of you," Togetic muttered. She walked up to Politoed, grabbed him, and dragged him off the cliff as she jumped. Politoed plummeted into the zero point section, but Togetic managed to flutter over and get two points.

"I'll go next," volunteered Kirlia. She jumped off the edge of the cliff. While it was a good dive, she only got one point; she had just narrowly missed the two point section.

"They've tied us," said Marowak, eyeing the other team.

"You've kept track in your mind?" asked Glameow, impressed.

Marowak nodded. "It's not hard."

"I'll go, man. Good luck to all of you," said Mothim, flying forward. He lazily drifted over the edge, but got two points in the process.

 **-static-**

 **"I'm always glad to help my team, man," said Mothim dreamily.**

 **-static-**

"I'll go next," Happiny volunteered. Taking a big leap, she jumped over the side, also getting two points.

"This is getting close again!" announced Latias, looking at the remaining Pokemon (Numel, Glameow, and Marowak for the Reshirams, and Buizel, Minccino, Jigglypuff, and Nidoran for the Zekroms). "The Reshirams have 37, and the Zekroms have 33! So you'll have to play strategically to win this, Zekroms!"

"Come on, guys!" cheered Buizel. "I'll go next. Just make sure to follow my example."

Buizel dived off the cliff and did pretty well, landing within the two point section and bringing the Zekroms slightly closer to the Reshirams' score.

"Me too," agreed Minccino, following. She got only one point.

"Numel, you might as well go," said Glameow, reassuringly. In all honesty, the reason she was waiting was that she didn't trust Numel to jump on his own; he seemed very lazy.

"Sure," he said, walking forward slowly. He dived, but didn't really try very hard, so he got no points.

"The final four," said Latios, drifting over to Glameow, Marowak, Jigglypuff, and Nidoran. "You four can make or break the scores of your teams. What are you going to do?"

"I'll go next," mumbled Glameow, shakily. She walked forward, clearly nervous about diving into the water.

Marowak put a reassuring hand on her back. "Good luck," he told her, looking her straight in the eye.

"Thanks," she said sincerely, before jumping. She got ready to dive, and then pounced. Unfortunately, her dive wasn't all that successful, and she got zero points. Suddenly, Marowak looked troubled.

 **-static-**

 **"If I jump and get two points, but Jigglypuff and Nidoran jump and get two points each, then we lose," said Marowak seriously. "Same goes for each of us getting one point. I need to be careful about how I do this dive."**

 **-static-**

"Who's going next?" asked Latias. Since Jigglypuff and Nidoran seemed to be discussing something, she looked at Marowak. "You want to dive?"

"I might as well," he said. He looked down, got ready, and prepared to dive. His dive only earned one point.

"Thirty-eight to thirty-six!" announced Latias. "The Reshirams are winning, but barely. Jigglypuff and Nidoran, this is on you guys!"

"Can you pull off a victory?" asked Latios.

"One minute," Jigglypuff responded.

"Can you please try the jump?" asked Jigglypuff, looking at Nidoran.

There was a long silence. Then, Nidoran squeaked, "Sure."

"I'll go first. I'll be waiting at the bottom for you," Jigglypuff promised. Then she jumped. She only got one point. "Come on, Nidoran!" she called from the bottom.

"Well, Nidoran, what will it be?" asked Latias. "Your fate, and the fate of your team, rests in your hands. If you jump, you could win, tie, or lose the game for your team. If you don't jump, you're out of here. What will it be?"

Nidoran approached the cliff. She wanted to jump. She knew she had to do it to stay in the game. She had to do it.

But the cliff was so huge…It was a long drop. A very long drop.

"I'm staying up here," gasped Nidoran in panic. "I can't do it…it's too scary. I can't do it."

Latias looked shocked. "You're not jumping?"

Nidoran turned toward Latias. "Sorry," she said quietly, shaking her head.

"Five bucks," said Latios, turning towards Latias. "You said all of them would jump."

"Fine," muttered Latias, pulling some money out of her wallet. "There you go."

"Ha."

"Shut up."

Then, Latias turned to Nidoran. "You can go have a last confessional, if you want," she informed her kindly. Nidoran nodded and walked away, preparing to do that.

"If she even had a first one," said Latios, chuckling. Latias looked at him and laughed.

"Come on, let's go get the campers to the elimination ceremony. We'll send Nidoran with whoever they eliminate," said Latios. With that, the two hosts floated away.

 **-static-**

 **"Well, I didn't really get to enjoy much time here," said Nidoran sadly. "I wanted to do this show, but I just couldn't summon up my courage. I've always been a bit of a coward…But I'm gonna work on that. I guess maybe I lost this time, but I can't let that define me forever. So I'll do what I can."**

 **"The hosts told me to pick who I would want to win, so I pick Jigglypuff. Even though I didn't dive, she spent a lot of time to convince me. She was really nice about it, too. So I pick Jigglypuff to win. Or that guy-"**

 **Nidoran blushed. "I mean, I didn't say anything!"**

 **-static-**

Latias and Latios met at the bottom of the cliff. "Well, campers, as you know, the challenge has finally ended. The Reshirams ended with thirty-eight points…the Zekroms got thirty-seven. So close. Sucks for you."

"Also, Zekroms, Nidoran didn't jump, so you're one player short," Latios added, grinning darkly. "Soon to be two, because you need to vote someone else out!"

"What, Nidoran quitting isn't enough?" asked Snivy.

"Nope!" said Latias pleasantly. "Now you all head to the campfire ceremony. Here's the point when you get to vote someone out."

 **-static-**

 **"Jumpluff," said Weavile, scowling. "I can't take another day of this."**

 **-static-**

 **Jumpluff bounced up and down. "They told us to write the name of who we want to vote for…so I picked Weavile! I'd vote for Weavile in anything!"**

 **-static-**

 **"Politoed," said Misdreavus. "He freaking bit me!"**

 **-static-**

 **"Politoed," said Jigglypuff. "Sorry."**

 **-static-**

 **"Slowking!" said Wormadam angrily.**

 **-static-**

 **"Wormadam…because I hate her more than most people," Slowking drawled.**

 **-static-**

 **"Garchomp…she scares me," said Shroomish, wide-eyed.**

 **-static-**

 **"Snivy," said Munna, smiling sweetly.**

 **-static-**

 **"Munna's out of here," smirked Snivy.**

 **-static-**

 **"Politoed is probably the smart move," said Drapion.**

 **-static-**

 **"Jumpluff, because I feel bad for Weavile," said Scizor.**

 **-static-**

 **"Wormadam—who does she think she is?" grumbled Graveler.**

 **-static-**

 **"Wow, I don't know who to pick…" said Rampardos, looking down. "I feel bad voting someone out…I'd hate to be the reason someone lost out on a million dollars."**

 **-static-**

"Well, the votes are in!" announced Latias. "Latios here will be handing out Poffins to those of you who are safe."

"Only one of you is going home tonight, but the votes were pretty close. A lot of variety," said Latios. "Could be any of you going home. Just like Nidoran. Say hi, Nidoran!" he finished, looking over at the small blue Pokemon. She gave an anxious half smile at her former teammates. Many campers exchanged worried glances.

"Luckily for you, some of you had no votes. So, first to claim their Poffin tonight will be…Wooper!"

"Yay!" shouted the small blue Pokemon, jumping up out of his seat to claim the treat.

"Next up…we'll have Pachirisu, Swellow, and Rampardos!" The next three went up to claim their Poffins.

"Plusle and Minun," added Latios, throwing Poffins to the twins, who grinned at each other.

"Hoothoot, Gligar, Jigglypuff, and Buizel," said Latios, waiting for the four to get up. Hoothoot and Gligar smiled at each other as they walked up, while Jigglypuff breathed a sigh of relief.

"Snorlax," Latios announced, seeing the big Pokemon staring hungrily at the Poffins. Snorlax went up, smiling, and claimed his, promptly eating it afterward.

"Kirlia, Deerling, Skitty, Shellos," read Latios. The four girls all went up to claim their Poffins. Skitty glanced back at Flareon. "Flareon too," added Latios. Flareon smiled at Skitty as he went up to claim his Poffin.

"Cacnea, Drapion, Togetic, and Scizor," Latios added. Scizor went up with a satisfied smile on her face, while Drapion claimed hers emotionlessly. Cacnea shrugged and took his.

"Haunter, Electrike, and Shroomish," said Latios. The three boys went up to claim their Poffins. Shroomish panted as he did this; it looked as if he had been holding his breath in anticipation.

"Minccino…Misdreavus…and Graveler," said Latios, throwing these three their Poffins.

Latias looked at the final eight, who all looked somewhat tense. "You all received some votes, so we saved you getting your Poffins for last! To build up suspense!"

Garchomp growled in annoyance. Weavile and Wormadam looked worried. Snivy and Munna glared at each other. Jumpluff grinned at Weavile. Slowking looked bored. Politoed clearly didn't care.

"Weavile, you're first. You only got one vote," said Latias, who had taken over the duty of handing the Poffins for the final eight. Weavile breathed a sigh of relief. "Snivy and Munna, you also only received one vote…and I'm guessing we all know who that was from," she added, seeing the two glare at each other as they received their Poffins.

"Next up, Garchomp. You received pretty few votes too," said Latias. Garchomp walked up looking somewhat satisfied (though still angry as always).

"Well, it's down to the final four," said Latias, looking at them. Except Politoed, they all seemed a bit more worried than before.

"Slowking." The pink Pokemon with the shellfish crown walked up and claimed his Poffin, looking bored.

"Thanks," he muttered sarcastically. Latias frowned but continued.

"And…Wormadam," she added. The bagworm let out a self-satisfied sound and went up to claim her Poffin too.

"Politoed, Jumpluff, it's down to you," said Latias. "Politoed, you barely helped the team and someone had to push you off the cliff. Not to mention, you haven't demonstrated the most brainpower," she added. Politoed beamed happily at this comment. "Jumpluff, your…obsession with Weavile was a huge distraction to you and your team."

"Which will be going home?" asked Latios dramatically.

"The last Poffin of the night goes to…"

"Jumpluff."

Jumpluff floated up delightedly to claim her Poffin. Politoed, on the other hand, seemed confused.

"What's going on? I wanted to hear more about my brain powers!" he complained.

"Screw it, I don't like you," said Latios, annoyed. "Get off this island. The boat's over there."

"NO!" screamed Politoed. Latios sighed and used his psychic powers to lift Politoed onto the boat that was leaving. "You go too, Nidoran," he added.

"Politoed needs a last confessional," pointed out Nidoran.

"Fine," moaned Latios. "A last confessional it is."

 **-static-**

 **"Why are they making me go? I just came here to eat...what do I like to eat again?" asked Politoed.**

 **From outside the confessional, Latios's voice said, "Time's up!" Then, the door opened and Politoed was lifted out with psychic powers.**

 **-static-**

"Thank Arceus we're done with that," muttered Latios.

"I suppose," agreed Latias. Then she looked back at the camera. "With two competitors gone, how will the campers fare next time? Will Weavile ever get away from Jumpluff? Will Snivy and Munna stop trying to kill each other? Will Shroomish be able to avoid any more psychos? Find out all this and more on the next episode of TOTAL! POKEMON! ISLAND!"

 **-static-**

Well, that's it for this episode! Nidoran and Politoed are eliminated. Probably not too surprising, though. Neither one was really meant to be a major character in the season. But maybe there will be more of them in later episodes for cameos and such? Who knows!

I got this chapter up in record time, but it's going to be an exception. Normally, expect no more than one or two a week. Maybe one every two or three weeks if things get rough. Summer's coming up though, so I'll have more time on my hands.

I'm hoping the characters' personalities are becoming clearer, but if not, please ask in a review! If you have any questions about anything, or feedback/comments (positive or negative) please leave it in a review. I'll try to get back to you if possible. Also comment which characters need to be focused on more-I'll try to remedy this in upcoming chapters.

I'm gonna leave some fun facts about the eliminated contestants! Not spoilers really, just interesting tidbits.

Nidoran: Nidoran is a very timid girl, but competing on this show, even if only for a very short time, becomes a turning point in her life. Realizing that she was a bit of a coward on national TV made her more determined to do better. If Nidoran comes back for a future season, expect to see her with more determination. Also, Nidoran has a secret crush on the island! Who is it? This may be revealed later!

Politoed: In the original draft, Politoed was a lot different. His character actually pretty much went around singing "I'm an idiot!" This was decided to be too boring, so Politoed was designed to have a more general stupidity. Also, despite being unintelligent, he is rather selfish and impulsive, like when he bit Misdreavus.

Hopefully those trivia facts made the characters a little more interesting! I'll try to do them every episode.

Here are the current teams!

Fiery Reshirams (35 members):

Absol, Aipom, Azumarill, Bidoof, Carnivine, Cherubi, Cloyster, Crawdaunt, Glaceon, Glameow, Happiny, Jolteon, Kingdra, Kricketune, Ludicolo, Luxray, Marowak, Meditite, Meowth, Mime Jr., Mothim, Mudkip, Numel, Oshawott, Patrat, Pidgeot, Pidove, Scraggy, Smeargle, Smoochum, Spiritomb, Tepig, Vaporeon, Woobat, Wynaut

Stormy Zekroms (33 members):

Buizel, Cacnea, Deerling, Drapion, Electrike, Flareon, Garchomp, Gligar, Graveler, Haunter, Hoothoot, Jigglypuff, Jumpluff, Kirlia, Minccino, Minun, Misdreavus, Munna, Pachirisu, Plusle, Rampardos, Scizor, Shellos, Shroomish, Skitty, Slowking, Snivy, Snorlax, Swellow, Togetic, Weavile, Wooper, Wormadam

Preview for next chapter: The campers are put into a traditional game, but there are many opportunities for pain! One competitor dominates the show and is surprised at their downfall. More friendships are made, and deals are struck between competitors. In the end, a competitor who caused a major problem is eliminated.

That's it for today! See you guys soon!

Nidoran: So...um...please review? The author would appreciate it...Thanks.

Politoed: Yeah, review or I'll pellytork to your house and bite you! Hurr durr!


	3. Dodgeball Days!

Hello, my friends! Here's the next update of Total Pokemon Island! This one seems a little better than the last chapter and will hopefully make up for how short it was-it's not very much longer, but it has a lot more character development.

Again, if you have any questions, PM me or post them in a review! As long as it's not spoilers, I'll be glad to help!

 **-static-**

"Hey guys, we're back with another episode of Total Pokemon Island!" Latias said cheerily.

"Last time, the campers were challenged to jump off a cliff," Latios announced. "Nidoran failed to do so, causing her to be eliminated _and_ her team to lose. The Zekroms then chose to vote out their least helpful player, Politoed, sending the two of them home."

"So now we're back for another, hopefully more exciting episode of…TOTAL…POKEMON…ISLAND!" shouted Latias.

 **-static-**

In the cafeteria, most of the campers had awakened by now, and were lining up to receive their breakfast. A Rhyperior intern grunted unenthusiastically and slopped some breakfast onto Wormadam's plate as she stepped up.

"What, you expect me to eat _this?_ " Wormadam asked, looking revolted. "I can't even tell what this is!"

Rhyperior leered menacingly at Wormadam, causing the bug to scamper away quickly, looking back at Rhyperior reproachfully.

At the long Reshirams' table, Kricketune set his plate next to Ludicolo's and sat down. "Hey," said Kricketune in a friendly manner. Ludicolo gave the cricket a smile and resumed eating his food.

"I don't even want to know what I'm actually eating," Azumarill muttered, poking her food with a fork. It didn't move. "So far, so good."

"It's like what would happen if you mixed mashed potatoes and asparagus," said Wynaut helpfully.

Azumarill looked at Wynaut weirdly. "Uh, yeah, I guess so."

Suddenly, the doors to the cafeteria burst open and a loud cry of "BIDOOF!" was heard. The Zekroms' table was practically knocked over by the impact of Bidoof's Rollout as she entered the cafeteria.

"Watch where you're going," grunted Graveler angrily. Garchomp stomped over to Bidoof, picking her up and tossing her over to the Reshirams' table. Bidoof landed on Crawdaunt's plate.

"You keep her. We don't want her," Garchomp growled. Most of the Reshirams looked fearful and simply nodded. Others, like Kingdra, looked less than pleased at both Bidoof and Garchomp.

 **-static-**

 **"I suspect the Zekroms won't keep Garchomp long," said Kingdra monotonously. "She's a power player, but she lets that go to her head. If you disagree with her, she'll snap. Frankly, I'm glad she's on the other team. She might be useful in a challenge or two, but she won't last long enough to make an impact."**

 **-static-**

 **"Aww…Why was Garchomp so mean?" said Bidoof, frowning. "I just wanted to use Rollout!"**

 **She paused. "I sure do use Rollout a lot."**

 **-static-**

"Mind if I sit here?" asked Minccino, looking at Deerling, Jigglypuff, Kirlia, and Skitty. The other girls nodded and she sat down.

"Wonder what the challenge is gonna be?" said Deerling. "I like these challenges…competition is fun!"

"I agree," said Kirlia, smiling. "There's a lot of competition on my dance team, but we're all friends."

"You dance?" asked Skitty, impressed.

"Yeah, it's a lot of fun," Kirlia replied. "I love doing it. Have you ever tried?"

"No," said Skitty enviously. "We've never had the money for it…"

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Kirlia, looking genuinely sympathetic.

"It's okay," said Skitty. "We don't have a lot of money, but maybe this competition will change that."

 **-static-**

 **"I have a lot of money, and most of the Pokemon here probably don't," said Minccino, with a faint trace of guilt in her voice. "I feel bad…I didn't enter the show to win. Actually, I'm kind of looking for a boyfriend…one who doesn't want me for my looks or money."**

 **She scoffed. "I hope they exist."**

 **-static-**

"Hey, gorgeous," said Electrike in what he hoped was a smooth tone, sliding up near Minccino. "What's up?"

"Not interested, Electrike," said Minccino, exasperated.

"Why not?" Electrike asked.

"I've already told you no," Minccino repeated.

"But-"

"Dude, not cool," said Buizel, walking up and giving Electrike a disapproving look. "She said she's not interested. Let it go."

Electrike looked like he was about to say something before deciding against it and walking away. Minccino, on the other hand, looked at Buizel gratefully.

"Thanks," she said, smiling. "He just wouldn't go away."

"No problem," he responded. "I'm always glad to help. No girl should have to put up with that."

"I'm glad you were there to help," she said, looking back at him.

"Anytime," he said with a grin, before walking off with his food.

 **-static-**

 **"Well, maybe there is one guy…" Minccino considered thoughtfully in the confessional.**

 **-static-**

"That was nice of Buizel to get Electrike away from you," said Jigglypuff, smiling.

"Yeah, thankfully…I don't know how I would have made him go away without Buizel," Minccino agreed.

"Seems like a lot of guys have their eyes on you," said Deerling, smirking.

Minccino blushed but tried to hide it. "Shut up."

Wormadam walked over to the girls' table and looked at Skitty. "Skitty, could I have a word?"

"Uh, sure?" said Skitty, looking confused. The other girls all shrugged, so she walked off with Wormadam.

"What's up, Wormadam?" asked Skitty in anticipation. Although they hadn't been there very long, Skitty didn't really like Wormadam, so she wasn't sure what she could need with her.

"Well, Skitty," said Wormadam in an almost condescending tone. "You see I'm wearing this leafy cloak, right?"

"Right…" said Skitty, not following where this was going.

"Well, I need it repaired when it's dirty. And being on an island, it'll get dirty," Wormadam explained as if Skitty was missing something obvious. "And I need someone to repair it. Someone with a good fashion sense."

"Okay, and…you want me to do that?" asked Skitty.

"Yes," said Wormadam simply. She stared at Skitty, and suddenly Skitty got nervous. Wormadam might not take a refusal very well.

"Okay, I'll do it," Skitty decided in a rushed voice.

"Great!" said Wormadam. Then she leaned in closer. "Also," she whispered confidentially. "I think we could make an alliance to get further in the game. You know, vote people off together."

"Why…?" asked Skitty, not finishing her thought.

"If you help me do that, I'll make sure people won't vote for you. After all, you don't want someone like me turning on you, now, do you?" asked Wormadam, with a triumphant look in her eye.

"No!" said Skitty, panicking. "No! Of course not!"

"Good," said Wormadam, walking away. "I'll meet you in the cabin later. You can repair my dress and then we'll discuss strategy."

 **-static-**

 **"I didn't want to do it," Skitty sighed. "But I didn't want her to vote me out either…"**

 **-static-**

 **"I needed someone with a good fashion sense, of course, but I also needed someone who's easily manipulated," said Wormadam matter-of-factly. "Let's face it, Kirlia and Minccino have a much better fashion sense, but I'll sacrifice that for Skitty's easiness to manipulate. I could tell she'd be paranoid about being voted out, so I played that to my advantage.**

 **"This game couldn't be any easier," Wormadam boasted.**

 **-static-**

"Man, that was an intense challenge last night," said Scraggy, looking at Aipom and Mudkip.

Aipom nodded. "It was intense, dude."

"That it was," agreed Mudkip. "Hey, are you guys hungry? Let's go to breakfast."

"I'm okay with that—OH ARCEUS! RED ALERT!" shouted Aipom. Scraggy and Mudkip turned to see Smoochum rushing toward them, looking ready to kiss.

"LET'S GET TO BREAKFAST NOW!" shouted Scraggy. The three of them hurried away, Smoochum close behind. They all ran into the cafeteria.

"SMOOCHUM'S COMING!" shouted Mudkip, alerting everyone. Immediately, evasive maneuvers were taken. Rampardos dived under a table. Marowak hid behind the counter. Mothim, Haunter, and several other male Pokemon flew and floated toward the ceiling where they were out of her reach. Many campers bolted from the cafeteria.

"I'm not afraid of her!" shouted Oshawott, pulling out his scalchop and pointing it at the door bravely.

Smoochum burst into the room. "Kisses!"

There was silence. Then Oshawott ran away, screaming.

 **-static-**

 **Oshawott rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, so maybe that wasn't my best moment."**

 **-static-**

 **"What's up with Smoochum? Was she not loved as a child?" asked Numel. "Meh…don't care. I'm just coming in here because I'm bored."**

 **-static-**

Outside of the cafeteria, Pidgeot was flying away. It was safe to say that the further away from Smoochum he got, the better. He turned to see how much progress he was making getting away from the cafeteria. He was doing pretty good, when he suddenly impacted something. He fell, dazed.

"Oh my Arceus, I'm so sorry!" came a female voice. He looked up and realized it was Swellow from the Zekroms. Though they were on separate teams, they had already talked many times. She seemed to realize it was him at about the same time he realized it was her.

"Fancy meeting you here," he joked. Swellow smiled.

"I'm really sorry about that," she apologized again. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Neither was I," said Pidgeot, shaking his head. "We should be more careful next time." He cracked a smile, while Swellow's smile widened.

"So, why were you in such a rush to get away from the cafeteria?" said Swellow curiously.

Pidgeot shuddered. "Smoochum."

"Enough said," Swellow responded, nodding with wide eyes. "She wants to kiss everybody…that's terrifying." Pidgeot nodded.

"Well…I was heading to my cabin. Since I'm on the Zekroms, and it's a girls' cabin, Smoochum definitely won't check there. Wanna come with me?" asked Swellow.

"Can I please?" asked Pidgeot gratefully. Swellow nodded. "Thanks so much."

"Hey, no big deal," said Swellow. Then they flew off together toward the girls' cabin.

 **-static-**

 **"Score!" said Swellow, striking a victory pose.**

 **-static-**

 **"That Swellow…she's something else," said Pidgeot in a surprisingly dreamy pose.**

 **-static-**

Wynaut wandered around, avoiding Smoochum. Luckily, he had managed to get out of the cafeteria in time. Suddenly, he heard a rustling coming from a bush nearby.

"Who's there?" he asked cautiously. Suddenly, a small, blue head popped out.

"Hey, Wynaut!" called Wooper.

"Wooper!" exclaimed Wynaut. "How are you, buddy?"

"I'm good!" said Wooper. "It's too bad we're not on the same team though…"

"Maybe we can both make it to the merge!" said Wynaut optimistically. "Then, after that we can work together!"

"Yeah, and after that the final twenty…then final ten…then final five…then final two!" said Wooper, who seemed even more optimistic than the already happy-go-lucky Wynaut.

"That's the spirit!" Wynaut cheered.

Suddenly they saw Smoochum come out of the cafeteria. "Let's get out of here!" they both said at the same time. Then they ran as fast as their little legs could carry them away from the place they had just seen Smoochum.

 **-static-**

After the tension with Smoochum had been calmed down, the boys finally returned to a calm, if not slightly paranoid, state. In the guys' cabin, it was Pidove, of course, who was affected worst by the drama.

"Pidove, man, come out from under the covers," sighed Tepig. "We might have a challenge to start soon."

"N-no, I think I'd rather stay h-here," said Pidove shakily.

"Please?" asked Woobat. She, Tepig, and Oshawott had come to try to convince Pidove to come out from under his covers. So far, they were having no luck.

"Pidove! Come on! The galaxy awaits!" shouted Oshawott, holding up his scalchop in a defiant pose. Tepig and Woobat looked at him strangely (well, Woobat turned toward him, but she couldn't really look at him since she was blind).

"Oshawott, you're odd," said Tepig after a long pause.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"Guys…" said Woobat, calling their attention back to the bird in the bed.

"Sorry," they both said at once.

"Pidove, come on," Woobat pleaded gently. "We're trying to help. No one's out here to hurt you."

"More like kiss-" Tepig started, before Woobat shoved her wing over his mouth to shut him up.

"What Tepig is trying to say is that we're all friends here," said Woobat firmly. "We'll help you."

"Yep! Don't be afraid!" said Oshawott confidently. "I fight off my fears all the time! Literally and figuratively!"

"What are you afraid of?" asked Tepig curiously.

"Sickness inducing bacteria, mostly."

"Ah."

Suddenly, Pidove peeked out from the covers. "Is she really gone?" he whimpered.

"Yes," said Woobat, Tepig, and Oshawott all at once.

"O-okay. I guess I m-might as well get out then," said Pidove, slowly crawling out from under the covers. His friends all smiled at him.

 **-static-**

 **"I really like the people I've met here so far," said Woobat, smiling. "Pidove is really nice…if he could just get over all his fears, I'm sure he'd be a great competitor. Oshawott's really funny and strange. Tepig is really smart…although he needs to learn when to shut his mouth sometimes. But they're all really great."**

 **-static-**

 **"Those bacteria are no match for me!" boasted Oshawott. "That's how I knew how to help Pidove."**

 **-static-**

 **"Well, um, I guess that worked, since he's out now," said Tepig. "I'm glad Smoochum is away…For now at least."**

 **-static-**

 **"I-I'll do my best not to let my fears ruin the competition for me," Pidove said nervously. "I-I'll try, at least."**

 **-static-**

Cherubi walked over to Smeargle and Happiny, who were talking in the Reshirams' girls' cabin.

"Whatcha doing?" the cherry Pokemon asked the other two girls.

"Oh, I'm just showing her some sketches I made," Smeargle explained, holding out a notebook to Cherubi so she could see.

"Are there any pictures of…bombs?" Cherubi asked. Happiny looked at Cherubi nervously.

"Not really," Smeargle responded cautiously. "Um, I could always draw one!" she amended when Cherubi looked at her strangely.

"Do it," said Cherubi in a commanding tone. She walked outside, and Smeargle and Happiny followed her. Suddenly, she ran around camp throwing her usual small bombs at random things. Some hit bushes, some hit trees, one hit the Zekroms' boys' cabin, and one hit Patrat.

"OW!" exclaimed Patrat. "You hit my behind!"

"Sorry, little man!" Cherubi said, laughing maniacally.

Meanwhile, Smeargle sat down and began drawing.

"What are you drawing now?" Happiny asked, torn between her curiosity at Smeargle's drawings and Cherubi's display of…madness.

"I'm drawing Cherubi…throwing bombs," Smeargle responded.

"Why?" Happiny asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Do you want to be the one to tell her you didn't make the drawing she wanted?" Smeargle asked seriously.

"Fair point."

 **-static-**

 **"What's her deal?" Happiny asked no one in particular. "Bombs are not a healthy obsession! Ask any medical health professional!"**

 **-static-**

 **"My behind hurts," murmured Patrat sadly.**

 **-static-**

Marowak was sitting down in the Reshirams' cabin when he noticed Luxray walking over to his bed and sitting down. Marowak walked over to Luxray's bed after him.

"Hey," Marowak greeted.

"Hey," responded Luxray warily. "What are you doing here?"

"Just making conversation," Marowak replied lightly. "How have you been?"

"Fine…" said Luxray. Then he shook his head. "Except that Jolteon. He bothers me."

Marowak cocked his head to one side, intrigued. "How so?"

"Well, he stole a map from the hosts, detailing what the next challenge would be," Luxray growled.

"And you didn't like that he took a map from the hosts because it gave him an unfair advantage?" asked Marowak, now very interested.

"No…I just didn't like him being a thief. It's dishonest," said Luxray. Then he sat down and explained. "I'm a cop in training. I don't like thieves, however minor. Besides, Jolteon seems like a punk, a troublemaker. We don't need someone like him on our team."

Marowak nodded, thinking. This conversation he had just had with Luxray had gotten the gears inside his head spinning, working out a plan…

 **-static-**

 **"Luxray's dislike of Jolteon is strong and borderline irrational," said Marowak, looking calm and a tad pleased with himself. "I would bet that at the first voting ceremony opportunity he gets, he'll vote Jolteon out. Now, if I vote with Luxray to help him get rid of his enemy, he'll be more likely to vote with me to get rid of mine. If I can find more people to vote with us, we'll be even more powerful."**

 **"Time to bring out the old alliance tactic. Never fails." He smiled. "This will take me all the way to the top."**

 **-static-**

Plusle and Minun sat in a cabin, looking bored.

"I wonder what the next challenge is gonna be," Plusle commented.

"Hmm…I bet it'll be easier than this one," Minun predicted wisely. "To give us a bit of a break."

Pachirisu walked up. "Hey guys! Are you talking about the challenge?" she asked, bouncing up and down a little bit as the hyperactive squirrel tended to do.

"Yeah, we think it'll be-" Minun started, before being cut off by an announcement from Latias.

"CAMPERS! PLEASE REPORT TO THE CAFETERIA FOR THE EXPLANATION OF TODAY'S CHALLENGE! THANK YOU."

"Well, there's the challenge," said Plusle. "Wonder what it'll be."

"No idea," said Minun, shaking her head.

"Guess we better go! Good luck!" said Pachirisu, winking at Plusle before running off. Plusle blushed and looked confused.

 **-static-**

 **"Was she winking at me…or at both of us?" asked Plusle, blushing a little bit. "Oh Arceus, I'm getting all worked up."**

 **-static-**

"Sixty-six…sixty-seven…sixty-eight," Latios counted as Plusle, Minun, and Pachirisu walked into the cafeteria and sat down with the rest of the Zekroms.

"Good, everyone's here!" said Latias, addressing the campers. "Well, I'll be explaining today's challenge…which is…dodgeball!"

"As in traditional dodgeball?" asked Scizor, arms folded.

"Yes, basically," said Latias.

"If I had wanted to play dodgeball, I could have done it at home," Numel complained unhappily.

"Shut up, Numel," Latios reprimanded. The camel stared at him with bored eyes. Latias cleared her throat and continued talking.

"So, anyway. Yes, it's basic dodgeball. For those of you who don't know how it works, or if you don't play by these rules, this is what we're doing. You pick up a dodgeball and throw it at a member of the other team. If it hits them, they're out of the game. If it misses them, you both continue to play the game. If they catch it, you're out of the game. Once someone is out of the game, we'll make them sit on the bleachers, which are next to the arena so they can still watch their team. Any questions?"

"So…I'm guessing the winner just has to be the last one standing?" asked Glameow.

"Yes, Glameow, that's correct," said Latios. "The last one standing wins the challenge for their team. However, the last one standing on the losing team also gets immunity."

"Cool!" said Wooper, jumping up and down.

"Yes, it is! Now, let's go to the gymnasium!" said Latias enthusiastically.

"You've never told us where the gymnasium is," Kirlia pointed out.

"Oh…well, then, follow me!" Latias announced, floating out of the cafeteria. The campers followed her out, with Latios bringing up the rear.

 **-static-**

 **Scizor smirked. "I used to be pretty good in dodgeball back in elementary school."**

 **-static-**

 **"I love dodgeball, mon!" Ludicolo proclaimed enthusiastically. "It's a very good game."**

 **-static-**

 **"I'll prove to Snivy that I'm better at dodgeball!" Munna vowed.**

 **-static-**

 **"Munna is going down," Snivy announced boldly to the camera.**

 **-static-**

 **"I hope I don't get hit too hard…my behind still hurts," Patrat said.**

 **-static-**

 **"Yay! I know we can win!" Pachirisu cheered happily.**

 **-static-**

 **"Meh," Numel said, looking straight at the camera. "Let's just get this over with."**

 **-static-**

In the gymnasium, the campers were split onto the two sides of the dodgeball court. "Reshirams, you'll take the side to my right. Zekroms, you're on my left," Latios commanded, splitting the campers down the middle, which went quickly except for the fact that Smoochum, a Reshiram, had tried to chase down Shroomish, a Zekrom, to give him a kiss. Once Smoochum was directed (meaning, levitated by Latios's Psychic attack) back to her side of the court, Latios got the campers' attention.

"Latias and I, as well as several of the interns, will be refereeing this game, since it's hard to keep track of what exactly happens on the court," Latios explained.

"Which interns did we decide on?" asked Latias.

"Raichu and Lucario," explained Latios. "So it should be fine, they're both pretty sane."

"Implying some of the interns are not very sane?" asked Pidgeot, raising an eyebrow.

"You haven't met Cleffa yet," said Latios, shivering. Behind him, Aipom, Scraggy, and Mudkip snickered. He turned around. "It's not funny! She likes making meteors rain down all over camp! It's a health risk!"

Aipom almost began to say something, but the door burst open. A stressed-looking Raichu and Lucario walked into the building, setting themselves down by Latias and Latios.

"Sorry about being late," said Lucario, looking at the hosts. "I had to convince Cleffa not to make meteors rain down and strike the cabins, as usual. And she had to stop Rhyperior from beating up Porygon2," he explained, looking over at Raichu.

"They're gonna kill each other without us in there," Raichu said worriedly.

"We put Dustox in charge; they'll be fine," Lucario said soothingly.

Raichu's look of worry became smaller. "Fair point."

"Will we be playing the game soon?" Misdreavus asked loudly from on the volleyball court.

"Yes, yes! Get going!" said Latios. Everyone picked up a dodgeball or two. "Get started in three…two…one!"

What happened after this was mass chaos. Mime Jr. was taken out by a well-thrown ball from Haunter. Garchomp threw a ball that nailed Woobat on the head. Kirlia levitated a ball that hit Wynaut. Togetic threw a ball that made contact with Crawdaunt. Things looked bad for the Reshirams, but the Zekroms weren't doing much better.

Azumarill had caught a ball thrown by Minccino, taking her out of the game, while Glaceon caught a ball thrown by Minun. Snorlax, being large was quickly struck by a ball from Absol, then another from Meowth. Wormadam was hit by a ball from Luxray, while Aipom took out the rather immobile Shellos. Then, Smeargle threw a ball that hit Flareon when he wasn't looking.

Latias, Latios, Raichu, and Lucario all shouted the names of the Pokemon who had been taken out of the game in the initial mass chaos. Many Pokemon who had scored a hit looked satisfied to continue playing in the game.

 **-static-**

 **"I already caught a ball!" said Azumarill, smiling. "This challenge is in the bag for the Reshirams!"**

 **-static-**

 **"I-I gotta not get hit," said Pidove, freaking out.**

 **-static-**

 **"Who even hit me?" asked Flareon, confused.**

 **-static-**

 **Meditite grinned darkly. "This is war."**

 **-static-**

Immediately after this, Scizor tossed a ball onto the Reshirams' side that hit Kricketune.

"Kricketune, out!" exclaimed Latias.

"Aw, man," said Kricketune sadly, walking off the court. "Good luck, team!"

Meanwhile, Absol threw a ball onto the Zekroms' side that hit Jigglypuff, who Lucario called out. Jolteon looked on approvingly.

"Nice shot, man!" he exclaimed, surprised that Absol had such good aim, since he had barely heard a word from the guy.

Absol almost smiled. "Thanks."

"Where'd you learn to play dodgeball so well?" asked Jolteon. He was suddenly curious about Absol.

"I used to do it when I was a kid sometimes," Absol explained, dodging a throw from Drapion that had been aimed at him.

"You'll have to teach me some skills," said Jolteon, aiming a throw at Electrike, which missed. However, Rampardos, who had been standing next to Electrike, was taken out by a sudden hit from Happiny. Latios called him out.

"Will do," Absol responded. Though he didn't smile, Jolteon heard almost a tone of warmth in Absol's voice and knew that Absol, despite being a loner, didn't really dislike people as much as he gave off the impression of doing.

"Awesome!" said Jolteon, before noticing Spiritomb getting struck by a ball from Snivy.

"Ha! Told you I'd hit the first one!" Snivy shouted triumphantly.

Munna looked like she was about to say something, but stopped, smirking.

"What-" Snivy asked, before being hit in the back by a dodgeball from Meowth.

"See ya," Munna responded, giggling.

Snivy stormed off the court. Munna launched a dodgeball at Numel, which he dodged, before immediately being hit by one from Marowak a second later.

"OH, COME ON!" Munna screamed.

 **-static-**

 **"Absol's pretty cool," Jolteon admitted. "I wonder what makes him such a loner."**

 **-static-**

 **"I came here to get away from…things in my life," said Absol vaguely. "But maybe…maybe that doesn't mean I have to stay away from things here."**

 **He frowned. "But I shouldn't get to close to anyone. Not yet, at least."**

 **-static-**

 **"I still got a hit, so I think I win today!" Snivy boasted.**

 **-static-**

 **"I lasted longer than Snivy, I'm pretty sure that makes me better!" Munna exclaimed.**

 **-static-**

 **Drapion sighed. "Would those two ever give it a rest?"**

 **-static-**

"BIDOOF!" shouted the beaver Pokemon, whose dodgeball hit Misdreavus.

"Come on, guys, we're losing team members!" Kirlia shouted to the rest of the Zekroms. Gligar picked up a ball which hit Pidgeot, while Garchomp hit Mudkip and Glameow in quick succession. Buizel then hit Ludicolo, while Deerling struck Kingdra.

Kirlia shrugged. "Much better."

"Pidgeot, Mudkip, Glameow, Ludicolo, and Kingdra, out!" Raichu called.

"Nice work, Zekroms!" announced Latios.

Garchomp grinned darkly. "Oh, it's only beginning." She launched another ball at Scraggy, who let out a cry of pain.

"Scraggy, you're out!" Latias declared. Scraggy walked off of the arena, rubbing his hurt side.

"We need to fight back!" Azumarill announced. As she spoke, Carnivine threw a ball across the field which hit Hoothoot, knocking her out of the game.

"Hoothoot, out!" Raichu called.

Meditite also threw a ball very hard—it hit Plusle, knocking him over.

"Plusle, you're out too!" called Lucario. Meditite grinned.

"Come on, guys!" called Pachirisu energetically to the Zekroms. Graveler nodded and picked up four balls, putting one of them in each arm. Two of them hit, taking Numel and Aipom out of the game.

"Darn," Numel drawled, leaving the court.

Meanwhile, Oshawott was launching lots of dodgeballs at the Zekroms, though none of them had made contact yet. Then he looked over at Cherubi, who hadn't touched a dodgeball recently.

"Cherubi, what are you doing?" Oshawott asked.

Cherubi looked up at him with a strange grin on her face. "DODGEBOMB!"

Then she threw something that looked suspiciously like a bomb onto the other side of the court. It ticked for a few seconds and a red light blinked.

"Um, what's that?" asked Buizel suspiciously. Several Zekroms started backing away from the bomb when it exploded. Dodgeballs were sent in every direction, hitting Buizel, Jumpluff, Kirlia, Graveler, and Slowking.

 **-static-**

 **"Cherubi may be on our team…but I think she's pretty freaky," admitted Glaceon. "That's just not normal. I wouldn't mind voting her out soon…even if what she did today was useful for the team. Maybe we should keep her in?"**

 **Glaceon shook her head. "I don't know anymore."**

 **-static-**

"CHERUBI, DISQUALIFIED FOR BEING INSANE!" Latias shrieked. Cherubi cackled and left the court. Garchomp took the opportunity of everyone being distracted to take out Mothim and Luxray.

"You're going down!" she vowed to the Reshirams. Marowak and Vaporeon both attempted to throw balls at her, but she dodged swiftly.

Smoochum kissed a dodgeball and launched it across the field. It hit Shroomish, who grimaced in disgust. Thinking quickly, Togetic threw a dodgeball across the field that hit Smoochum.

 **-static-**

 **"No one should have to deal with that," Togetic stated bluntly.**

 **-static-**

 **"I feel violated," Shroomish said sadly.**

 **-static-**

"I have a lucky feeling about this dodgeball!" Pachirisu told Skitty, throwing it across the room. It hit Patrat right in the face.

"Why is it always me?" Patrat complained, walking off the field.

"Willewillewillewillewilleyeah!" Carnivine shouted, throwing a dodgeball back at Pachirisu. She tried catching it, but it hit her so hard that the force knocked her back.

"Pachirisu, you're also out!" Latias exclaimed.

"Nice throw, Carnivine," Latios commented.

 **-static-**

 **"I'm not sure who we should be most afraid of on my team," admitted Jolteon. "Carnivine, the powerful psycho? Cloyster, the guy who wants to take over the world? Or Cherubi, the girl with a bomb addiction?"**

 **He paused. "Did you have to have some kind of major problem to get on this show?"**

 **His eyes widened. "I DIDN'T DO IT, I SWEAR!"**

 **-static-**

"I've got this, Minccino!" called Electrike, winking at Minccino, who had already been taken out. He tried throwing a ball at Azumarill. She caught it right in her hands and smiled defiantly back at Electrike.

"Electrike, out!" called Raichu. Electrike sighed.

Meanwhile, Swellow threw a ball at Cloyster, who hadn't seen it coming. He looked around at the Zekroms' side, trying to figure out who threw it.

"WHOEVER THREW THAT BALL…I WILL DESTROY EVERYTHING YOU EVER CARED ABOUT!" Cloyster bellowed psychotically. Swellow gulped and hastily directed her attention elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Tepig noticed Pidove cowering in a corner over on the Reshirams' side. "Pidove, you're not still nervous, are you?" Tepig asked, sighing.

Pidove nodded frantically.

"Look, Pidove, you gotta-"

Tepig was cut off as Pidove was hit forcefully by a dodgeball from Garchomp and knocked through a wall.

"There goes that pep talk," muttered Tepig.

Smeargle sprinted up to him. "We need to take out Garchomp! She's-"

Smeargle was also knocked into a wall by another dodgeball from Garchomp.

Tepig groaned. "Won't Garchomp let anybody finish a sent-"

Tepig flew backwards into a wall from a dodgeball that was also, unsurprisingly, from Garchomp.

 **-static-**

 **Tepig appears bruised in the confessional. "WHAT IS WITH THAT GIRL?!" he cried.**

 **-static-**

 **Pidove cowers in the corner, shaking.**

 **-static-**

 **"It's not fun until someone gets hurt," Garchomp announced, grinning psychotically.**

 **-static-**

"Ugh, I wish I could throw better," muttered Skitty. Weavile, who was next to her, looked at her in sympathy.

"I see why that's a problem for you. Don't worry, we have Garchomp, and she's pretty good. Plus, I'm not too bad myself."

Weavile grinned confidently and threw a dodgeball at Absol, which he dodged. Then, another dodgeball came soaring onto the Zekroms' side, hitting Weavile right in the face.

"I got someone!" Meowth cheered from the Reshirams' side.

"Meowth. I got out from FREAKING Meowth," muttered Weavile.

"Weavile, you're out!" called Latios.

"I'm aware of that, thanks!" Weavile called back sarcastically.

 **-static-**

 **"That money's mine!" Meowth declared proudly. "I only have to beat out sixty-eight more campers!"**

 **He paused. "Ooh, I did not think this one out…should have entered a smaller game show."**

 **-static-**

On the Reshirams' side, Meditite and Carnivine, two of the team's strongest throwers, were trying to hit Garchomp, who was by far the strongest on the Zekroms' side. However, they weren't having any luck.

"You could surrender now!" Meditite called in frustration.

"Not likely!" Garchomp shot back.

Scizor took advantage of Meditite's distraction to throw something at her, but it was a narrow miss. Scizor shook her head.

Meditite glanced back at Scizor. "Oh, so that's how you wanna play it?" she challenged. She picked up another dodgeball and whipped it at Scizor. However, the red bug stuck her arms out in front of her…and caught it.

"Meditite, out!" Lucario announced.

Meditite growled in annoyance as she walked off the court.

 **-static-**

 **"I thought I could win this thing," Meditite said, clearly in a bad temper. "But no, they had to get freaking Scizor the awesome bug who thinks she can just catch my throws!"**

 **-static-**

"I think we're tied now, guys!" Vaporeon called to her team.

"Not for long!" Deerling challenged from the Zekroms' side, throwing a ball that hit Glaceon.

"Glaceon, out!" called Latias. The model shrugged and walked off the court.

"We're not giving up that easily!" Jolteon countered, throwing a shot at Gligar, who swiftly dodged. However, she wasn't able to dodge the shot from Marowak that followed immediately after.

"Dang it," she muttered, gliding off the court as Raichu called her out.

"Victory is ours!" called Oshawott, launching a ball at Togetic. She dove and caught it, smirking. Oshawott frowned and walked off the court, wishing his team good luck.

As if to prove the point, Absol seemed to come out of nowhere and throw a dodgeball at Deerling. She frowned, but then smiled a second later. "Nice throw, Absol," she commented as she walked off, smiling at him.

"Thanks," said Absol, giving almost a hint of a smile.

Jolteon walked over to Absol. "Nice throw, but can you beat this?" he challenged.

He threw the ball. It landed near no one.

"Yes," Absol responded seriously. Jolteon laughed, and again, Absol smiled.

 **-static-**

 **"Maybe it wouldn't hurt to have one friend on the island," Absol admitted.**

 **-static-**

 **"I may be skilled at a lot of things, but dodgeball is not one of them."**

 **-static-**

"Wooper, you're out!" called Latias. The mud fish had just been taken out by a throw from Marowak.

"Go get 'em, guys!" he exclaimed, looking at his team.

Garchomp grinned and threw a ball at Happiny, who was sent flying backwards.

"No problem," she snarled.

"If by 'go get 'em' he meant 'put them in full body casts,' then Garchomp will do fine." Cacnea muttered.

Scizor, Swellow, and Drapion were all tossing balls from the Zekroms' side when Scizor noticed something.

"Guys, where's Haunter?" she asked suspiciously.

"Isn't he out?" asked Drapion.

"No, you're right…they never called his name," Swellow said, nodding at Scizor.

"Maybe he ditched us," muttered Drapion, throwing another ball, which hit Marowak.

"I don't think Haunter seems like that kind of guy," pointed out Scizor.

"I don't really care what happened to him," Drapion muttered. "I don't see him here, so it doesn't matter. He's not going to be the deciding factor of if we win this or not. That's our job."

Right after she said this, Drapion was hit in the face with a ball from Carnivine. "Willewillewillewillewilleyeah! In your FACE!" Carnivine boasted.

"I'm going to murder that plant," Drapion snarled as she left the arena. Swellow and Scizor exchanged a nervous glance.

Azumarill eyed the remaining contestants on her team. Absol, Carnivine, Vaporeon, and herself were all good throwers. Jolteon wasn't really much of a thrower, but he could certainly dodge quickly and catch well. Bidoof and Meowth…she really wasn't sure why they were there.

The Zekroms, on the other hand, had less people. Cacnea, the sole remaining male, was slow and not a great thrower, but he could catch if he had to. Garchomp, Scizor, and Swellow were all good at throwing, with Garchomp being a huge threat. Togetic was average all around, while Skitty really couldn't do much of anything.

"Take out Garchomp!" Azumarill called to the other Reshirams. Vaporeon and Absol nodded and both tried throwing balls at Garchomp to no avail. However, Bidoof took advantage of the distraction and threw a ball at Swellow, which, surprisingly, hit its target.

"Swellow, out!" called Latias. Swellow sighed and flew off the court.

"BIDOOF!" Bidoof exclaimed happily. Then she was nailed in the head by a ball from Garchomp.

"Same goes for Bidoof!" Latias added.

"We need to do something," said Absol, looking at Jolteon. "Let's try-"

Absol was hit in the side by a throw from Scizor. He frowned. "Aim for Garchomp first."

"Got it," said Jolteon nervously. He wasn't sure he would be any substitute for Absol on the court.

The hosts and interns watched the remaining Pokemon battle it out.

"It's an even five on five," commented Lucario.

"Not exactly," Latios amended. "The Zekroms have six."

Lucario squinted. "Garchomp, Scizor, Togetic, Cacnea, Skitty. That's five."

Latios shook his head. "I think you're forgetting someone."

Latios paused so he could call out Skitty's name, since she had been taken out by a hit from Vaporeon. As he did this, Lucario's eyes widened in realization.

 **-static-**

 **"Dodgeball is painful," Skitty said, wincing. "At least I didn't get hit by Garchomp, though…I'm glad she's on our team."**

 **-static-**

"Jolteon, out!" called Raichu. Jolteon had just been taken out by another hit from Garchomp and appeared to be in a great deal of pain as he walked off the court.

"Okay, team, let's go!" Azumarill called to the other Reshirams. Vaporeon nodded and threw a ball, but Togetic managed to catch it.

"Sorry…good luck," she said apologetically, walking off the court. Azumarill grimaced. This could be bad.

"I've got this!" Carnivine declared. He threw a ball that hit Cacnea, knocking the cactus out of the competition.

"Let's go!" Scizor called to Togetic and Garchomp, her only remaining teammates. If Azumarill wanted to rally up her team, then Scizor would just have to do the same.

"I'm on it!" said Togetic, throwing a ball to the other side. Smirking, Azumarill caught it.

"Sorry," she said in a mock apologetic manner. Togetic sighed and walked off the court…but not before Azumarill was hit directly in the face by a hard ball from Garchomp.

"Togetic and Azumarill, out!" called Raichu. "Azumarill, is your face okay?"

Azumarill got up with a large bruise on her face. "Just dandy," she muttered, scowling.

Carnivine and Meowth stood alone on the Reshirams' side of the court, while Garchomp and Scizor took the Zekroms' side.

"Let me do the work," Carnivine said to Meowth. The cat Pokemon nodded.

"I've got this," said Garchomp, grinning meanly.

Carnivine quickly took advantage of the few seconds Garchomp had used to talk to throw two balls at Scizor and Garchomp. Scizor's made contact, but Garchomp's missed.

"Scizor, out!" called Latias.

"Good luck, Garchomp," said Scizor, walking off the court.

"I won't need it," said Garchomp proudly. She picked up several balls and started launching them at Carnivine, who picked up several balls and did the same. This went on for several minutes, until-

"Carnivine, out!" declared Latios.

Garchomp grinned evilly as Carnivine left the court and then began laughing. "Hahaha! I've won!"

"Garchomp, out!"

"What?" Garchomp shrieked in rage. She looked down at her leg to see a dodgeball that Meowth had thrown. In her excitement over beating Carnivine, she had forgotten to take out Meowth.

"Sorry," he muttered awkwardly. Garchomp looked like she was going to stomp over to him and beat him up, but thankfully, Latias stepped in and used her psychic powers to drag the land shark away from the small cat.

"Do I win?" Meowth asked, looking excited.

"Not exactly," came a male voice from the other side of the court. Suddenly, Haunter appeared, throwing a dodgeball onto the Reshirams' side of the court, hitting Meowth head-on. Haunter smiled, knowing he was the last one.

"Haunter is the winner!" Latios declared. "The victory this time goes to the Stormy Zekroms!"

The Zekroms all cheered and ran up to embrace Haunter, who was clearly embarrassed by the attention.

"Haunter, that was awesome!" exclaimed Pachirisu.

"You turned invisible to lure the other team into thinking they were safe, then took out the remaining members…smart," Hoothoot admitted.

"Smart? No, that's genius!" Misdreavus exclaimed, rushing over to Haunter, who looked even more flattered. He blushed as Misdreavus kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you," he responded, surprised by the gesture.

"No, thank you," Misdreavus retorted, grinning. Then she smiled slyly. "There's more where that came from, if you're interested."

"I just might be," Haunter admitted.

The Zekroms left the building, still cheering for Haunter. Latias and Latios turned to face the Reshirams.

"Well, as sad as it is to say, one of you is going to have to be sent home today," said Latios, not looking sad at all. "Thankfully, today it's only one. You get one vote, person with the most votes goes home. See you at the campfire."

 **-static-**

 **"Smoochum," said Tepig, looking nervous. "No more of her."**

 **-static-**

 **"Meowth lost the challenge for us!" exclaimed Azumarill. "I'm voting for him."**

 **-static-**

 **"I got out pretty early…" said Mime Jr. "I hope they don't vote for me. I guess I'll vote out Cloyster…like…what's up with him?"**

 **-static-**

 **"I'd vote out Jolteon, but…Smoochum is more pressing," admitted Luxray. "But next time, Jolteon's going home."**

 **-static-**

 **"Cherubi?" said Smeargle. "Why not."**

 **-static-**

 **"Smoochum!" Patrat exclaimed. "I don't want her here."**

 **-static-**

 **"I'll vote out Woobat," said Smoochum. "I only want boys on the team. That way, I can kiss them all!"**

 **-static-**

 **"I hope they don't vote me out!" Meowth said, panicking. "Smoochum is clearly a more pressing issue!"**

 **-static-**

"Welcome, Fiery Reshirams, to your first elimination ceremony!" exclaimed Latias, looking around at the campers. "Since you haven't done this before, we'll be passing out Poffins to those who are safe. And the first one safe tonight is…Carnivine!"

The Venus flytrap went up to Latios and claimed his Poffin, looking satisfied. He popped it in his mouth and devoured it in one bite.

"Also safe tonight…Pidgeot, Glameow, Azumarill, and Luxray!" Latias continued. The next four went up to claim their Poffins.

"Absol, Jolteon, Vaporeon, and Tepig, you're also safe," Latios added. They all looked relieved at being given Poffins.

"Marowak, Glaceon, Oshawott," Latias recited, looking at her paper. They all looked happy to get their Poffins, but the remaining Pokemon, though there were many of them, had already started looking tense.

"Ludicolo, Aipom, Mime Jr., Meditite, Scraggy," Latios finished, letting the next group come up to claim their Poffins.

"Spiritomb, Wynaut, and Kricketune," Latias continued after the previous five had claimed their Poffins. By now, the tense atmosphere had intensified dramatically.

"Kingdra, Crawdaunt, Mudkip, and Smeargle are also safe," Latios added. Kingdra looked smug, Crawdaunt looked satisfied, Mudkip looked relaxed, and Smeargle looked grateful as they went to claim their Poffins.

"Also…Pidove, Happiny, and Mothim," said Latias. The next three claimed their Poffins.

"As well as Bidoof, Numel, and Patrat," said Latios, having a somewhat final tone in his voice. The only remaining Pokemon were Cloyster, Cherubi, Smoochum, Woobat, and Meowth. Meowth looked disappointed at being there, while Woobat looked confused. Cloyster and Cherubi looked defiant. Smoochum was simply trying to make kissy lips at the male competitors.

"Well, you five all had votes," Latios said, taking time to create suspense. "Meowth, you lost the challenge for your team. Smoochum, you've tried to kiss everyone here. Cloyster, you…are psychotic. Cherubi, you're incredibly dangerous. Woobat…I really don't know why you're here."

"The first Poffin goes to Woobat," said Latias. "You all saw it coming, I'm not even sure why she was here." Woobat brightened as she flew up to obtain her Poffin.

"The next Poffin goes to…Cloyster," Latios added, grinning dramatically. "Apparently you just weren't psychotic enough to be sent home tonight."

"That's because they know if they send me home, I'll blow up their houses and take their firstborn children," explained Cloyster matter-of-factly.

Latios stared for a while. "Yeah, just get your Poffin." Cloyster made a face and bounced up to claim his Poffin.

"Cherubi! You're next," said Latias. Cherubi looked happy that she had received a Poffin. This left only Meowth and Smoochum.

"Well, who will it be?" asked Latias. Even Smoochum looked a bit nervous now.

"The final Poffin of the night goes to…"

Both competitors sucked in their breaths.

"Meowth," Latias finished, tossing him his Poffin. Meowth looked ecstatic. "Seriously, Smoochum, every male on this team as well as more than half of the females voted for you. You might want to tone down your love efforts."

"This team is more than half male, so that's saying something," added Latios.

"Aww…" Smoochum said sadly. "Well, don't worry, my loves! I'll root for all of you!" She blew more kisses toward the male competitors. Most of them gagged and looked away.

"All right, Smoochum, time for your last confessional," announced Latias, pointing Smoochum in the direction of the confessional. The kisser nodded and walked over to the confessional, preparing her final speech.

 **-static-**

 **"Well, I didn't intend to leave this early," said Smoochum, looking a bit downcast. "I didn't even get to kiss every guy! But maybe I'll be able to sometime. I've heard the hosts are talking about a season two. Maybe I can compete!"**

 **"Well, I'm sad I didn't win, but at least I got to kiss some great guys! Thanks, everyone, I was glad to be here!" said Smoochum, waving at the camera.**

 **-static-**

"Your boat awaits you, Smoochum," said Latias as Smoochum exited the confessional.

"Where's Latios?" asked Smoochum, looking disappointed that the co-host wasn't there.

"Hiding," Latias muttered. "Anyway, there's your boat!"

"Come on!" called the boat driver.

Smoochum smiled and ran forward, getting on the boat. "KISSES!" she exclaimed, running toward the boat driver.

"OH GOD!" he screamed, driving the boat away very quickly. Latias snickered.

"Well, that was it for this episode. Tune in next time for more fun—and hopefully less kisses—on TOTAL! POKEMON! ISLAND!"

 **-static-**

Well...Smoochum got sent home. Was it honestly surprising? None of the guys wanted here there...I tried to make it convincing that MAYBE Meowth would get sent home, but clearly Smoochum was the better choice here. Meowth didn't get nearly the amount of votes Smoochum did; he only got a fraction of the girls on the team, and there are a lot less girls on the Reshirams than guys.

Some good development bits occurred this chapter, in my opinion! Pidove being helped out by Woobat, Oshawott and Tepig...Electrike harassing Minccino and Buizel saving the day...an alliance between Luxray and Marowak...Wormadam manipulating Skitty...things are getting intense!

Put in your review what your favorite part of the chapter was! I'm curious.

Time for fun facts!

Smoochum: No one really knows why Smoochum has the kissing obsession, since the extent she has it is abnormal even for her species. However, she does have some favorite victims, especially Shroomish. Smoochum really only thinks about kissing guys, but she does it so often that all the guys are scared of her. That results in Smoochum having no friends, but since her mind is always on kissing, she rarely notices.

And here's my team list!

Fiery Reshirams (34 members):

Absol, Aipom, Azumarill, Bidoof, Carnivine, Cherubi, Cloyster, Crawdaunt, Glaceon, Glameow, Happiny, Jolteon, Kingdra, Kricketune, Ludicolo, Luxray, Marowak, Meditite, Meowth, Mime Jr., Mothim, Mudkip, Numel, Oshawott, Patrat, Pidgeot, Pidove, Scraggy, Smeargle, Spiritomb, Tepig, Vaporeon, Woobat, Wynaut

Stormy Zekroms (33 members):

Buizel, Cacnea, Deerling, Drapion, Electrike, Flareon, Garchomp, Gligar, Graveler, Haunter, Hoothoot, Jigglypuff, Jumpluff, Kirlia, Minccino, Minun, Misdreavus, Munna, Pachirisu, Plusle, Rampardos, Scizor, Shellos, Shroomish, Skitty, Slowking, Snivy, Snorlax, Swellow, Togetic, Weavile, Wooper, Wormadam

Preview for next chapter: A conflict arises between two campers that changes the way they play the game, while another camper can't seem to resolve their own conflict without the help of some friends. Meanwhile, two other campers must keep a dangerous secret that could cause them problems. The challenge allows many fit campers to get ahead, while it allows other campers to have a chance at sabotage. Finally, in the end, two competitors are eliminated, one due to conflict and another due to unpopularity.

That's all, folks. Take it away, Smoochum!

Smoochum: Please review or I'll kiss you! SMOOCH!


	4. Trying Hard in the Triathlon!

Hey, guys! I'm back! Sorry for the delay in putting out this chapter. Life got in the way, as it often tends to do. I had AP tests and a variety of other nonsense going on in my life for the past few weeks, and this chapter was one of my longest, so it was hard to put it out in a reasonable amount of time. But I think this is one of my best chapters so far! I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for all the support!

 **-static-**

"Welcome back to Total Pokemon Island!" announced Latias, grinning at the camera. "Last time, Smoochum, the…kissing girl…was eliminated from the Fiery Reshirams! This means that a total of three Pokemon have been eliminated from the competition!"

"Sixty-seven more to go, yippee," muttered Latios. "I don't like them."

Latias looked at him disdainfully. "Oh, because Politoed and Smoochum were so much better."

Latios shook his head. "Okay, fair point, but at least they don't blow up everything like Cherubi!"

Latias pondered. "Can't argue with that."

Somewhere in the distance, a cry of "I LIKE BOMBS!" could be heard, followed by a girl's screaming voice.

"Let's focus on the campers…and get the interns to take care of this disaster," said Latias nervously.

"Agreed," Latios responded.

 **-static-**

A knock at the door of the Reshirams' girls' cabin could be heard. Mime Jr. peeked her head out.

"Can I please come in?" begged Shellos with a desperate look in her eyes.

"Why? You're on the other team," Mime Jr. pointed out. She liked Shellos, but she wasn't sure why she was here.

"Cherubi," Shellos explained, even more desperately.

Mime Jr.'s eyes widened. "Oh, then please, come right in."

Shellos moved right into the Reshirams' cabin without a word and hid behind a nightstand.

"Could she find me if she walked in here?" asked Shellos, worried.

"Probably…that's her bunk," Mime Jr. explained.

Shellos let out a yelp and slithered to the other side of the cabin.

 **-static-**

 **"That girl is crazy!" Shellos exclaimed with wide eyes. "I just tried talking to her to make friends and then she put a bomb in my food!"**

 **-static-**

 **"Sharing a cabin with Cherubi has been a…unique experience," said Mime Jr. She paused. "I will say no more."**

 **-static-**

"What's up?" asked Luxray, seeing Marowak come into the cafeteria and sit at his table. Marowak smiled.

"Well, my friend, I've called some other…candidates for an alliance to meet us here. I suspect they'll all say yes," said Marowak. He had looked for people who were ambitious and smart, but not smart enough to catch onto the fact that the further along in the game they got, the more he would be using them.

Suddenly, the door opened and three girls walked in: Glaceon, Meditite, and Kingdra. They settled down at the table across from Luxray and Marowak.

"All right, I'll bite—Why did you ask for us here?" asked Meditite, not bothering to keep the suspicion out of her eyes. "We may be on the same team, but I've barely talked to either of you."

"I'd like to make a proposal," suggested Marowak. "I think the five of us should work together in the game, as an alliance. We'll vote together, making our votes count a lot more than if we voted individually. We're all powerful players who are smart enough not to do something that might cause us to get eliminated, as the past eliminations have all been competitors who have made huge mistakes. With this combined voting power, we'll get farther in the game."

He looked around at the others. "So what do you say?"

"I'm in," Luxray responded automatically. Marowak had told Luxray to pretend that he knew nothing about the alliance beforehand. He thought this might help convince Glaceon to join, since she and Luxray had shown some interest in each other—at least, that's what Luxray had told him.

"Sure," said Glaceon hesitantly. She wasn't sure about the idea, but she thought it might keep her safer in the game.

"I'm also in," Meditite decided after a few more seconds of thought. "You're right. We could use more voting power."

The whole group turned to look at Kingdra, who seemed to be in even deeper thought. It was a few seconds before Kingdra responded.

"I'm going to hold off on joining," Kingdra finally said. "I like the idea…but I'd like a chance to consider it more deeply first."

"How long will that be?" asked Marowak, keeping his tone even. He had been sure that Kingdra would join, or else he wouldn't have invited her.

Kingdra considered. "If not by the end of this episode, then by the end of next episode."

Marowak thought about it. "All right. Until then we won't vote for you. If you choose to join, we'll let you in."

"Thanks," said Kingdra. She turned away and walked for the door. "I'll let you continue your meeting in private from here."

 **-static-**

 **"I had actually been intending to play the game solo," admitted Kingdra. "I never had any intention of joining an alliance…I more or less make my own. If there's someone I want out, I know how to persuade people to vote for them. Persuasion is just one of my many talents."**

 **Kingdra paused. "Even so…an alliance might not be a bad thing to help me get further. I like the idea…but I don't trust Marowak at all. I'll really have to think about this one…"**

 **-static-**

 **"I'm shocked that Kingdra didn't join, but four out of five isn't bad," Marowak said. "Glaceon and Meditite should be very helpful in the voting ceremonies. As for Kingdra, if she doesn't join by the time she said she would, we'll have to try and take her out of the game. Someone else knowing about our alliance is just too risky. As it is, I might consider eliminating her, but she's smart—I don't think she'd tell anyone anything yet knowing that we might have the power to take her out if we wanted to."**

 **-static-**

Rampardos, Scizor, Snorlax, and Togetic were all hanging out talking outside some of the Zekroms' cabins. Currently, they were waiting near the Zekroms' girls' cabin for Swellow, but so far, she remained unseen.

"Maybe she just didn't want to hang out," suggested Rampardos. "She has other things to do."

"Swellow's pretty reliable," Scizor countered logically. "I think she'd tell us if she canceled."

"Well, hopefully she'll get here soon," said Snorlax. "I'm hungry."

"She's not preventing you from going to the cafeteria," pointed out Togetic.

Snorlax shrugged. "I can wait. Just not forever."

"Well, Swellow might not be here for a while…what do you think the challenge is going to be today?" asked Scizor.

"Hopefully something easy," said Rampardos optimistically.

"And something where Garchomp can't cause extreme pain and misery," Togetic added.

"I think that's her job," pointed out Scizor.

Togetic shrugged. "True. I know she's gonna snap on either Snivy or Munna any day now."

"Glad she won't snap on me," said Rampardos, shivering.

Snorlax nodded. "That would be bad."

Suddenly, Swellow flew up to them, looking flustered. "Hey, guys…sorry I'm late," she said breathlessly.

Scizor gave her a skeptical look. "Where were you?"

Swellow paused for a minute before taking a deep breath. "If I tell you, promise not to tell anyone else. Okay?"

The other four Pokemon nodded.

"All right, here goes," Swellow began. "I was flying over here when I saw Pidgeot. We started talking and got carried away and…we kissed."

"Congratulations!" said Rampardos, Snorlax, and Togetic enthusiastically. Scizor frowned.

"Pidgeot's on the other team," pointed out Scizor.

"I know!" Swellow said, sighing. "That's the problem. I don't want the team to think I'm a traitor or something…but I really like Pidgeot."

"Don't worry, Swellow. We'll keep your secret," said Rampardos consolingly.

"Thanks, guys…I'm just really worried. Do you think they'd vote me out if they found out?" Swellow asked.

"I hope not," said Togetic, but she sounded doubtful.

"I honestly can't say for sure," admitted Scizor. "But you're right. It's best to keep this silent for now. I don't want them thinking you're some kind of traitor."

"She isn't a traitor!" Snorlax said indignantly.

"I know," said Scizor. "But they might take it the wrong way. If they know she's in a relationship with Pidgeot, they might vote her out if her relationship jeopardizes her performance with the team."

"It won't," Swellow assured. "Pidgeot and I both really want to win. We did both come here for the money."

"Then you should be fine. This thing is new, but maybe if we give it time, the idea won't be so bad if they find out after you've been in a relationship for a while. But since everything is still new, they could take it the wrong way," said Scizor. "We'll keep it a secret."

"Thanks, guys. You're great friends," said Swellow, tearing up a little bit.

"Aw…that's nice of you," said Rampardos, smiling. "Come on, let's go somewhere else. We need to get ready for the challenge."

Swellow nodded and the group walked away to prepare for the challenge.

 **-static-**

 **"I wish she wouldn't have done that, but honestly? Swellow's smart, and so is Pidgeot," said Scizor with her arms folded. "They're not going to do anything stupid. They might as well get to have a little fun."**

 **-static-**

 **"I hope their relationship doesn't experience any issues because of this team thing," said Rampardos. "That would be a terrible cause to break up over."**

 **-static-**

Pidgeot walked back to the Reshirams' boys' cabin and laid down on his bed, grinning. Spiritomb looked up from the magazine he was reading.

"What's up, man?" asked Spiritomb, looking at Pidgeot's happy expression. Pidgeot turned his head, surprised. He hadn't even really noticed that Spiritomb was there.

"Oh…nothing," explained Pidgeot. Spiritomb raised an eyebrow.

"Fine," said Pidgeot. "But before I explain anything to you, you have to promise to keep it a secret. No telling anyone."

"I promise," said Spiritomb seriously.

"Not one single person other than me or you can know."

"Dude, I already promised," said Spiritomb, exasperated. "Yes. Just you and me. And if it makes you feel any better, I don't have hands to cross behind my back, so I can't use that excuse."

Pidgeot seemed satisfied. He began to explain to Spiritomb.

"Well, I was just flying around outside and I saw Swellow flying toward me. And we talked for a while and…well…we ended up kissing."

Spiritomb stared. "Congratulations! But you do know she's on the other team, right?"

Pidgeot sighed. "Unfortunately, yes."

"Then you also know that's not going to go over very well with our team."

"Unfortunately, yes."

"I won't tell," Spiritomb assured. "I wouldn't do that."

He paused. "So are you guys dating now or was it a one-time thing?"

"Spiritomb!"

"Just asking!"

 **-static-**

 **"I'm pretty sure his response means it wasn't a one-time thing," said Spiritomb smugly.**

 **-static-**

 **"** CAMPERS! BREAKFAST IS READY!" called Latias over the intercom.

"Could you turn that thing down?" asked Meditite irritably.

"NO THANKS!" Latias shouted brightly.

"Screw you," Meditite muttered.

All the campers filed into the cafeteria to get their food.

Jigglypuff, Kirlia, Deerling, and Minccino sat down at their normal table. Skitty was noticeably absent from this group, a phenomenon which was becoming increasingly common.

"Where has she been?" asked Jigglypuff curiously.

"She's been hanging out with Wormadam," Minccino informed them, wrinkling her nose.

"Wormadam! She's awful!" exclaimed Deerling.

"Why would Skitty want to hang around with Wormadam?" asked Kirlia, knowing that the two had nothing in common.

"Well, this is how Skitty explained it to me," Minccino began. "Wormadam came to Skitty and asked her to—"

"Hey, guys, what's up?" asked Skitty, sitting down with the others. Though she appeared to be trying to look happy, it was plain that she was tired and upset.

The other girls paused. Then Kirlia spoke up gently.

"Skitty…what's been going on with you and Wormadam?" asked Kirlia.

"Oh…nothing. We've just been hanging out," said Skitty, nonchalantly.

The other girls stared at her. "None of us are falling for that," said Minccino seriously.

"Minccino said you told her something. What was it?" asked Jigglypuff in a reassuring tone.

Skitty sighed. "Fine. I'll tell you. Wormadam's been making me make dresses for her to wear. She told me that she's doing it because of my good fashion sense and that if I don't do it, she'll eliminate me. So I have to do it for her! I can't go home because of this!"

"Skitty, that's terrible!" exclaimed Kirlia.

"She has no right to do that," asserted Deerling.

Skitty's eyes grew wide. "Don't do anything yet! I don't want her to go against me!"

"I think we should! She can't go on doing this!" said Minccino.

"No, I think we should wait," said Jigglypuff intelligently. "Let's not turn her against Skitty. But we're voting out Wormadam the first chance we get."

"Guys…" said Skitty, eyes watering. "What if she finds out?"

"Skitty, you can't keep doing this!" said Kirlia forcefully. "Wormadam has no right to boss you around like this. We're not going to stand for it."

"Give me one challenge to work things out," Skitty pleaded.

"One challenge," said Jigglypuff. "No more. We can't let Wormadam use you like this."

"Okay…thanks for being such good friends," said Skitty gratefully.

Wormadam walked over to the table. "Skitty, could I borrow you for a minute? I want to discuss strategy."

"I'll take care of this," whispered Skitty, letting Wormadam lead her away from the table.

"I hope she actually does that," Kirlia said sadly after the others left.

"She's not going to have a choice. One way or another, we'll get her away from Wormadam," vowed Jigglypuff.

 **-static-**

 **"What Wormadam is doing to Skitty is just wrong!" said Jigglypuff forcefully. "Skitty's our friend, and it's our duty to help her."**

 **-static-**

 **"I hope Skitty's okay," said Kirlia, looking worried. "Wormadam can be…hard to deal with."**

 **-static-**

 **"How did Skitty even get roped into this?" asked Deerling. "Honestly, what made Wormadam even come up with this plan?"**

 **-static-**

 **"Hopefully, Skitty really can break things off with Wormadam," said Minccino. "Because I don't really want to vote for Wormadam at tonight's elimination ceremony…I'd rather vote for Electrike."**

 **Minccino paused. "Also, why didn't she come to me or Kirlia if she wanted fashion advice?"**

 **-static-**

Garchomp stomped into the cafeteria, angry as usual. She took a place down at her normal spot in the cafeteria.

"Move out of the way, runt," she snarled at Shroomish, who yelped and moved over a seat.

Slowking rolled his eyes. "Bright eyed and bushy tailed as usual, I see."

Garchomp stopped and stared at Slowking. "Did you say something to me?" she challenged.

"Not to you…more about you," Slowking clarified monotonously.

Garchomp started breathing heavier. "You think it's funny?"

"I think it's something to do on this pointless show," drawled Slowking. "And you're such perfect material for sarcasm…It's beautiful, really."

"You're DEFYING ME?!" Garchomp roared.

"Apparently…not that I care," Slowking responded.

Garchomp growled and then charged toward Slowking, readying an attack. Slowking used his psychic powers and held her in place. He then got up, brought his food with him, and left the cafeteria, all while holding Garchomp still. She struggled to break free from his grip, but it was no use. Slowking was actually a very strong Pokemon.

"What the heck?!" Garchomp screamed in frustration. Slowking finally closed the door, and that broke his psychic hold on the land shark. She ran to the door, looking out for him outside, but he was nowhere to be seen. In frustration, she walked back to the table, kicking Shroomish and knocking Snivy and Munna's heads against each other. The rest of the team backed away from her. Garchomp sat in a corner, fuming.

"I'll get him back," she vowed. "He won't win this one."

 **-static-**

 **"So easy to mock, all of them," Slowking drawled. "I hate them. Every one of them. I despise them."**

 **"Though maybe not as much as those hosts."**

 **-static-**

 **"Ugh…my head," Munna said, looking dizzy.**

 **-static-**

 **"Arceus, that girl is psycho!" exclaimed Snivy.**

 **-static-**

 **"Every second I spend with Garchomp, I feel like I'm a year closer to dying," gulped Shroomish.**

 **-static-**

 **"Garchomp has tried to beat up a lot of the competitors," said Graveler. "I don't mind being tough, but she's just insane. I hope I never become a victim of hers."**

 **-static-**

 **"Not cool," said Mothim sadly. "It's a good thing she isn't on my team. We don't need bad vibes like that. But maybe karma will catch up to her."**

 **Mothim stared dreamily at the camera. "You know what I mean, man?"**

 **-static-**

 **"I want to win this competition! For Weavile! Garchomp won't stop me!" Jumpluff declared proudly.**

 **The door clicked and Weavile's voice was heard from outside. "But I will!" she cackled, her voice growing quieter.**

 **"WEAVILE! HI!" shouted Jumpluff. She tried opening the door, but it wouldn't open. "Weavile?"**

 **She paused as she tried opening the door several more times.**

 **"…Weavile?" she asked, confused.**

 **-static-**

"Oh my Arceus," said Weavile, slumping down at a table next to Gligar and Hoothoot. "That took me forever."

"What did?" Hoothoot questioned.

"Getting rid of Jumpluff."

"How'd you do that?" asked Hoothoot, surprised.

Weavile gave her a look. "I locked her in the confessional."

"Not even surprised anymore," muttered Gligar.

"I was desperate, okay? You try having an insane stalker!" Weavile retorted.

"Fair enough," Gligar responded, nodding slowly.

"What do you think the challenge is?" asked Hoothoot, trying to break the awkward silence.

"I'd say something more difficult than dodgeball, more along the lines of the cliff dive," Gligar suggested.

"I'm with her," agreed Weavile. "Dodgeball could be a bit painful, but it wasn't that tough. They'll make it worse this time around."

"I suppose you're probably right…this won't be much fun then," said Hoothoot.

"Is it ever?" asked Gligar.

 **-static-**

 **Crawdaunt's voice could be heard from outside the confessional. "Arr! What scallywag be in the confessional? Ye've been in there for forty minutes!"**

 **"Weavile?" said Jumpluff hopefully.**

 **"…Lass, this is Crawdaunt," came the voice from outside, sounding tired. "Do ye need the confessional? There be a line out here!"**

 **"Can we use the confessional now?" came Cacnea's voice, sounding bored.**

 **"Let us in, Jumpluff! Please!" came Smeargle's voice.**

 **"I can't open the door," Jumpluff explained.**

 **Crawdaunt sighed. "Might that be because it's locked?"**

 **"Probably!" said Jumpluff.**

 **Crawdaunt sighed and unlocked the door for her. Jumpluff quickly left.**

 **-static-**

 **"I don't know how I shall last through any more of this," Crawdaunt muttered.**

 **-static-**

 **"Do all reality show contestants have to put up with this?" asked Cacnea, not looking amused.**

 **-static-**

 **"I—" Smeargle paused. "I seriously have no idea what I came in here to say anymore. When you wait that long, it's easy to forget."**

 **-static-**

"Wow, Garchomp sure is angry today," said Electrike, glancing in the direction of the angry land shark. He had sat down next to Minccino, who was looking uncomfortable. "So you wanna go out with me?"

"No, Electrike! I keep telling you no!" Minccino repeated loudly.

Electrike shrugged. "Okay, maybe next time." He got up and threw out his plate.

"Ugh…I can't take much more of this," said Minccino. "This has to stop."

"We could always vote him out if you want," suggested Deerling.

"I thought we were voting out Wormadam," argued Kirlia. "She's bossing Skitty around! She shouldn't be allowed to do that."

"Skitty said she would take out Wormadam on her own," pointed out Jigglypuff. "Electrike won't leave Minccino alone no matter what she says. Maybe we should vote him out. We can take out Wormadam next time if Skitty still hasn't done anything.

"Electrike may be annoying, but Wormadam is still the bigger problem," Kirlia protested.

"The bigger problem for Skitty. But she's taking care of it herself," Jigglypuff countered. "We'll vote for Wormadam next time, but it might be better to get rid of Electrike this time."

"Thank you," said Minccino gratefully. Kirlia frowned but didn't say anything.

"You're voting out Electrike?" asked Buizel, walking up to the table and sitting down by Minccino. She didn't seem to mind this.

"Yeah, it seems like a logical move," Deerling explained.

"For my sanity," muttered Minccino.

"I'm in," said Buizel, smiling at Minccino. She smiled back gratefully.

 **-static-**

 **"I feel bad for Minccino, I really do," said Kirlia. "Honestly, having a guy you don't like be obsessed over you…it sucks. I've been there. A lot of guys like me for my…looks, I guess. I just want someone who likes me for more than that. But I just feel like we need to help Skitty. I think her problem is more important."**

 **-static-**

 **"Buizel is great!" exclaimed Minccino. "He's nice, and he—"**

 **"Oh Arceus, what am I doing?" asked Minccino, looking horrified.**

 **-static-**

 **"Electrike doesn't seem to have any regard for Minccino's feelings in the whole situation," said Buizel. "He should know better than that."**

 **-static-**

"Campers! We've got a pleasant surprise for you!" Latias exclaimed in a chipper tone.

"Meaning we're not going to like it at all, are we?" asked Numel.

"I'm ignoring your comment," said Latias. "But anyway! It's time for the challenge!"

"I can tell you're all extremely excited," said Latios sarcastically, listening to the silence that ensued from Latias's comment.

"So…what's the challenge?" asked Vaporeon, breaking the silence.

"We'll get to that in a minute," Latias explained. "First, I have to inform you of the twist in today's challenge."

"We're going to sacrifice the loser to Arceus?" Slowking suggested. Everyone stared at him. "I don't think it's a bad idea," he muttered.

"Try again," Latios suggested, rolling his eyes.

"We get ice cream afterwards?" asked Patrat hopefully.

"No, there's always ice cream in the kitchen, Patrat," Wynaut offered helpfully. Patrat grinned widely.

"You guys are terrible guessers!" said Latios. "No, today's a double elimination. The losing team eliminates two people, and unlike in the second episode, when Nidoran was automatically eliminated but you voted out Politoed, you actually vote out both people!"

"We get two votes?" Minccino asked eagerly. She wanted Electrike out more, but she certainly wouldn't have minded voting for Wormadam too.

"No!" said Latias, smiling widely. "Actually, you all still get one vote. The two people with the most votes get sent home."

"This could change a lot," said Kricketune thoughtfully.

"That's right. Now follow me and I'll explain the challenge!" exclaimed Latias.

 **-static-**

"Today's challenge is…A triathlon!" Latias informed the campers when they arrived at their destination.

They were at a mountain on the island, and packs of climbing gear could be seen near its base. A large checkered mat was placed at the base of the mountain, and many checkered flags were placed leading away from the mat on a path that led out into the distance.

"A triathlon…so, running, swimming, and…climbing?" asked Vaporeon.

"Dude, I can't swim," Mothim informed the hosts.

"Yes, Vaporeon, you're correct. And Mothim, have patience, we've got you taken care of," clarified Latias.

"The first part is climbing up this mountain. You can do it however you want, you just have to get it done," explained Latios. "Part two is either swimming, rowing, or flying. You just have to get across the lake. Once you get to the opposite side of the lake, you'll have to run around the island following the flags we've placed back to the starting and ending line, which is that thing." Latios pointed to the checkered mat. "Any questions?"

"I mean, for the running part I still kinda have to fly," said Woobat awkwardly.

"You can fly for the swimming and running parts, but you have to get to the top of the mountain in a way other than flying or floating, whatever that might be," said Latios. "At bare minimum, you must be touching the mountain at all times. Then, when you get to the lake, you have no restrictions."

"Can't wait," Numel added, looking bored.

"Me neither!" exclaimed Wooper, bouncing up and down. Numel stared at him before Wooper picked up on the sarcasm and said, "Oh."

"You're allowed to press this button if you get tired or don't think you can complete part of the challenge," Latias explained further. "If you really can't go on, then press it and we'll come and get you. But don't expect your teammates to be too happy with you if you press the button too early."

"Oh, we're obligated to get you all the proper safety equipment to climb a mountain, blah blah blah," said Latios. "Get on your climbing packs and let's go."

"I don't need a climbing pack, I've climbed mountains all my life," complained Graveler.

"The producers are telling you to, and they're the ones supplying your money, so…"

"Fine, fine," said Graveler, putting on a harness. When all the campers were done getting their gear together, Latias spoke to them once more.

"Line up at the starting line, campers!" Latias exclaimed. The campers did as they were told.

"On your marks…get set…go!"

 **-static-**

 **"A race…if I can get through the climbing and swimming portions okay, I'll be fine to lose some time on the running portion," Azumarill planned out. She smiled. "Some healthy competition is always good. And I certainly plan to win.**

 **-static-**

 **"Great, an athletic challenge. I should be good at that," Luxray said, nodding with a confident look on his face.**

 **-static-**

 **"Climbing…swimming…running…not my things," said Snorlax sheepishly.**

 **-static-**

 **"I should really buy a belt," Scraggy noted, looking at his sagging pants.**

 **-static-**

 **"This challenge should be the perfect chance to get revenge on Slowking," Garchomp decided. "I can sabotage him and get him out of the challenge with no problem. Then, once the team sees how badly he did, they'll vote him out! I can't lose!"**

 **-static-**

 **"I'll say two things. One, I know Garchomp is out to get me. Two, this will be her downfall," Slowking stated ominously.**

 **-static-**

In the challenge, Pokemon who were physically stronger, as well as Pokemon that were used to mountainous terrain, surged ahead. Graveler shot to first place quickly during the climbing part of the challenge, with Gligar earning a close second. Meditite occupied third, while Drapion claimed fourth and Marowak got fifth. After that, the campers all seemed to be having some trouble climbing the mountain, with the possible exception of Garchomp. She seemed determined to give Slowking as much trouble as possible.

"Will you stop?" asked Slowking, dodging a boulder she had knocked off the mountain. Rampardos, who was directly below them, looked up in concern.

"Garchomp? Are you sure you should be attacking Slowking?" Rampardos asked. "He's on our team, you know. Let's all try working together."

"Not with this jerk," Garchomp growled savagely. Rampardos looked nervous as Garchomp broke off another boulder. This boulder missed Slowking but hit Aipom, who wasn't able to dodge in time. Aipom swore as he plummeted to the ground.

"Aipom's out of the challenge!" called Latias. "Chikorita, get over here and heal him!"

A Chikorita intern who was apparently serving as the nurse ran over to Aipom and put the injured monkey on a stretcher. "This is gonna be a thing, isn't it?" she asked as she prepared to help Aipom.

"What is?" asked the hosts in unison.

"Campers getting injured all the time and me having to heal them."

"Well, duh! That's what makes this competition fun!" said Latias gleefully.

Chikorita sighed. "I don't get paid enough." Aipom cringed as she carried him away.

Below where Aipom had fallen off, Scraggy and Mudkip were looking angrily at Garchomp.

"What was up with that?" hissed Scraggy, looking down at his fallen friend.

"Garchomp's gotta go, that's for sure," Mudkip said. "I hope the Zekroms vote her out."

"Me too," Scraggy agreed. "Well, I guess we'd better keep climbing. Aipom isn't going to be able to make it any further whatever happens."

"Good point. Let's keep climbing," agreed Mudkip. The two friends climbed further up the mountain.

 **-static-**

 **"I'm going to make Slowking's life miserable until he leaves this island," Garchomp growled. "It's too bad I missed him with that boulder."**

 **-static-**

 **"It's too bad Garchomp doesn't realize that sabotaging her own teammate isn't going to make her popular with her team," smirked Slowking.**

 **-static-**

 **"Ow…" said Aipom, with bandages all over. "Remind me not to get in the way of angry land sharks. They're better left alone."**

 **-static-**

"AAH!" Graveler exclaimed as he fell down the mountain. He had tried grabbing a section of the mountain to get him further, but it had come loose. He landed on a ledge a few steps below. Luckily, his mountain climbing gear had prevented him from any worse injury if the ledge he was on collapsed.

"You okay?" asked Gligar, now in first place since Graveler had fallen.

"Go on!" he urged. "Meditite's gaining on you, and we need to keep a lead! Keep moving forward!"

Gligar nodded and did as she was told. However, she had been careless; when grabbing onto her rope, her claw sliced it and she plunged down even further than Graveler. She opened up her wings and glided to safety.

"Uh..what should I do?" she asked, looking at the hosts. Her climbing gear had been more or less destroyed and she was now far enough down the mountain to put her below most of the campers.

"You're out of the challenge for destroying our climbing gear," said Latias coolly.

"It was an accident! I have claws!" Gligar protested.

"Sorry," Latias apologized, not really looking very sorry. Gligar mumbled something and went to the bottom of the mountain where she waited with the hosts and Aipom, who looked better now, just a little bruised.

 **-static-**

 **"By taking me out of the challenge, they lost one of the best climbers!" Gligar complained. "Now Meditite is in the lead. We can't let the Reshirams win!"**

 **-static-**

Soon, Aipom and Gligar were not the only Pokemon at the bottom of the mountain. Pidove had pressed his button not long after (he was afraid of heights when he wasn't flying, he explained). Garchomp had also knocked Togetic off the mountain when she had been aiming for Slowking, and the Pokemon who had seen it happen were not happy that Garchomp had taken out a member of her own team. Cacnea had accidentally cut his wire with a thorn while climbing, similarly to what had happened to Gligar, while Snorlax was tired from pulling his immense weight up the wire, so he had pressed his button. Shroomish had also been forced to quit, as he had no arms and very stubby legs, and his mouth simply wasn't strong enough to pull him up. Surprisingly, other Pokemon like Wynaut were able to use their mouths to climb up even though they had no arms.

"Hello there," Shellos greeted Haunter. He turned, surprised to see her; he figured that her sluggish body wouldn't allow her to climb up the mountain. However, she seemed to be using this to her advantage. She was using her slime to stick to the mountain, climbing it slowly but effectively.

"Hey. Nice strategy," he admitted, impressed.

"Thanks," said Shellos, smiling. "I've had to develop certain tricks…you know, not having any limbs."

"You're doing good. Hopefully, we'll win this one." Haunter didn't look at her as he talked, focusing on the climb.

"I think we can do it! Good luck," Shellos said, smiling as she slithered further up.

"Thanks. You too."

 **-static-**

"Ha! I've made it to the top," said Meditite, looking down the mountain at the other competitors struggling to climb up the mountain. Drapion wasn't far behind her, but Meditite knew she would gain speed going down the mountain and across the lake. Following Drapion was Marowak, climbing at a steady pace. Scizor had had a slow start due to some difficulty using her claws, similar to Gligar, but she had figured it out and was now carefully moving towards the front of the pack. Graveler had recovered and was also moving back up in the pack, but he was now tied with Weavile. Carnivine and Pidgeot followed after that.

A few ledges below the top of the mountain, Drapion's eyes narrowed. Meditite, a Reshiram, was in first, but she, Scizor, Graveler, and Weavile were the only Zekroms who had any chance of beating her. If she could find some way to mess up Meditite, maybe she and a few others could beat her out and reclaim the lead…

"Let's try this," Drapion muttered quietly. She aimed a Pin Missile attack at Meditite. Meditite grunted in pain as the attack struck her in the back.

Meditite peered back over the edge. Drapion tried aiming another Pin Missile attack at her, but Meditite dodged. Then, she ran back down the mountainside before Drapion could get another chance to hit her.

"Dang," Drapion muttered, annoyed. She continued climbing silently, hoping that someone would be able to stop Meditite. Suddenly, she had an idea.

"Hey, diaper girl! Get back here! I'm not done with you!" she called.

Meditite's angry face appeared over the mountainside. She looked livid.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?" she raged.

Drapion smirked. "Diaper girl."

She reached the top of the mountain and pushed Meditite down the mountain towards the other campers. Marowak and Scizor dodged her and she fell on a ledge right below Scizor. Drapion then smiled and ran further away from Meditite, who looked like she wanted to kill Drapion.

"THIS ISN'T OVER!" she screamed in a rage.

Graveler and Weavile attempted to sneak past her while she wasn't looking. Unfortunately, this wasn't working so well; Meditite punched Weavile out of anger, and she flew down the mountainside, on a ledge right next to…

"WEAVILE!" exclaimed Jumpluff.

"Kill me now," moaned Weavile.

 **-static-**

"This is some hard work," muttered Jolteon, climbing the mountain. Vaporeon was a few steps above him.

"I hear you," she agreed. "I'm great at sports and running, but climbing? Not my forte."

"I can't wait to be over the top of this mountain already," Jolteon responded. "The climbing part is gonna be the worst."

"Oh, definitely," agreed Vaporeon. "Personally, I'd like the swimming part best…I feel so free in the water."

"Because you're a Water-type, maybe?" Jolteon joked.

Vaporeon grinned mischievously down at him. "Nice work, Sherlock."

"I try," said Jolteon, looking back at her. Then he grinned back. "Wanna meet me in the cafeteria after the challenge? For some snacks?

"I'd love to," Vaporeon responded. Then she paused. "But first I'm gonna beat you up this mountain."

"Not on your life," said Jolteon, laughing and trying to catch up. Luxray, a few steps below Jolteon, frowned as he watched the scene.

 **-static-**

 **"I think I just scored myself a date!" Jolteon exclaimed, laughing.**

 **-static-**

 **"Jolteon's pretty cool…I wouldn't mind spending more time with him," Vaporeon admitted.**

 **-static-**

 **"Jolteon seems to be a bit close to Vaporeon," Luxray noticed. "I hope she doesn't become an obstacle in my attempts to eliminate him. My quarrel is with Jolteon, not Vaporeon."**

 **-static-**

"I don't even have the energy to insult you," Snivy moaned to Munna as the two girls attempted to climb the rock wall.

"I don't either…I just want to get this over with," Munna agreed, attempting to climb and struggling.

"Want to make a truce? For this episode only," Snivy explained, adding the last part hastily so Munna didn't get the wrong idea.

"This episode only…it better be. I'm not gonna be able to stop myself from insulting you any longer," said Munna, laughing meanly.

"Not if I can help it," Snivy responded.

The two girls continued climbing the mountain in silence. But they weren't launching attacks at each other, which was an achievement in itself.

 **-static-**

"Whoa!" said Marowak, dodging an attack. He looked toward the top of the mountain and saw Meditite standing there, looking murderous. He knew her target would be Drapion. Thankfully, Meditite had no quarrel with him, and they were on the same team, but that attack had still come pretty close to hitting him. He was now in third; after ascending to the peak and starting their way down, Scizor had passed him and Drapion up due to her high speed. Drapion herself was a lot faster than Marowak, who was pretty slow. Even so, he was almost at the lake. Scizor and Drapion were already in boats, rowing across. Marowak finally reached his boat, and Meditite wasn't far behind.

Meditite saw Marowak getting into a boat, but ignored him. The target here wasn't him or Scizor, but Drapion. She got in the boat and started rowing furiously.

At the top of the mountain, Carnivine and Graveler reached the peak at about the same time. Carnivine, however, was much faster, and he ran down the side at a surprising speed. Graveler shrugged and decided to roll down since he was actually faster at rolling than he was at walking. Carnivine reached the boats a minute or two after Marowak and Meditite had left, and Graveler arrived not long after. There were now six Pokemon on the lake.

 **-static-**

"Garchomp, you need to stop attacking Slowking! He's on our team!" Hoothoot called. Garchomp had just knocked down a boulder that had hit Kingdra, knocking her off the mountain. Hoothoot didn't care that Kingdra had been knocked off, but she did care that Garchomp didn't seem to care who was harmed in her attempts to hurt Slowking.

"As soon as this punk lets me get a shot at him!" Garchomp growled.

Up above, Slowking smirked. He had used his psychic powers to increase the speed at which he ascended the mountain, since he was normally a very slow Pokemon. He looked down at Garchomp with an expression of pretend fear.

"Garchomp, don't attack! I'm sorry!" he exclaimed. "We have to win this challenge!"

Garchomp growled and punched the mountain. A chunk of rock fell off and hit Tepig in the head. While it didn't knock him off the mountainside, it hit his head and gave him a sizable bruise. He glared up at Garchomp without saying anything.

 **-static-**

 **"Their argument is pointless and it's a risk to our team," said Hoothoot. "We can't let it go on. If Garchomp keeps doing this, we'll have to vote her out tonight."**

 **-static-**

 **"That was not cool," Tepig said, rubbing his head.**

 **-static-**

"Finally at the top!" exclaimed Pidgeot. He heard someone else coming up the mountain behind him. Turning around, he saw that it was Swellow.

"Hey," she greeted him, smiling.

"Hey," he responded. "It's a beautiful view up here."

"It really is," Swellow agreed. "Almost like flying."

"Not quite," said Pidgeot. "Nothing's as beautiful as flying. You can see the whole world beneath you…it gives you perspective of how small we really are."

Pidgeot paused. "Well, maybe there's one thing that's more beautiful than flying."

Swellow smiled. "Really? What is it?"

"You," said Pidgeot. He stepped forward and the two birds kissed. They kissed for a while, and when they stopped, they stared into each other's eyes.

"Thank you," said Swellow breathlessly.

"No…thank you," said Pidgeot, smiling.

Azumarill reached the top of the mountain just to see Pidgeot and Swellow descending the mountain, towards the boats. She noticed that they were going wing in wing.

She stopped for a second "I wonder…"

 **-static-**

 **"Swellow and Pidgeot…could they be a couple?" asked Azumarill. "I'd never given any thought to it. But if they are, then maybe I should tell the team. After all, two Pokemon from opposite teams in a relationship seems like a bad thing to me…they could put their relationship before the challenge."**

 **Azumarill stopped and thought a little more. "But I'm not going to use this information yet. I want to see where it goes and save it for the right time. Maybe if I play my cards right, I can eliminate either Pidgeot from my team or Swellow from the other team, if not both—and they're both powerful players."**

 **-static-**

Not long after this, more players dropped out of the challenge. Woobat, Happiny, Spiritomb, Meowth, and Patrat all pressed their buttons on the Reshirams, while Minccino, Electrike, and Rampardos had all dropped out on the Zekroms' side.

"Minccino, you quit too?" asked Electrike, attempting to look surprised.

"Did you quit just because I quit?" Minccino asked him suspiciously.

"No, no! Why would I do that?" Electrike asked in an incredulous tone that he hoped wasn't too over the top.

Minccino rolled her eyes and said nothing.

"Now that we're both here though, want to hold hands?" Electrike asked her hopefully. Minccino groaned and walked away.

Meanwhile, Wormadam appeared to be struggling on her own rope. She was still very close to the bottom of the mountain. She was having a very hard time climbing up.

"Skitty!" she called.

Skitty turned back from a decent distance up. "What?" she asked, barely keeping the annoyance out of her voice.

"I'm stuck! Can you help me up?" Wormadam asked innocently.

Skitty paused. She was making good progress and she didn't want to go back and help Wormadam—she didn't even like her! She knew none of her friends would want her to go if they could see her, but Jigglypuff, Kirlia, and Deerling were all ahead, and Minccino had already dropped out. The choice was hers. Then Wormadam called up, "Remember our promise!" She knew this meant Wormadam's promise to vote out Skitty if she didn't comply with Wormadam's requests.

"I'll be right down," Skitty sighed.

Skitty climbed down some ledges, passing many Pokemon she had previously been ahead of. Many of them, like Misdreavus and Numel, gave her strange looks as she passed. She finally reached the ledge where Wormadam was.

"Here, I'll tie my rope around your back, and you can carry me up!" said Wormadam cheerfully. "Isn't that a great plan?"

"Wonderful," muttered Skitty.

Wormadam noticed the sarcasm in Skitty's voice but didn't care. "All right, let's go. I want you to get me much further. On your way!"

Skitty sighed again and tried regaining the large amount of ground she had lost from this pointless detour.

 **-static-**

Drapion looked back as she was crossing the lake. Meditite was rowing furiously in her boat, but Drapion was faster—she had bigger and stronger arms. Drapion smiled. She was not only keeping her lead, but losing Meditite. She'd take care of the problem back at camp.

Behind her, Scizor frowned. Drapion wasn't slowing down, and Meditite had already passed Marowak. She hoped this didn't cause Meditite and Drapion to fight—Drapion was one of her team's most powerful players, and she was much less of a loose cannon than Garchomp was.

Suddenly, Scizor heard a cry of "Willewillewillewillewilleyeah!" from behind her. It was Carnivine; he had passed Meditite and was quickly gaining on Scizor.

"I'M A-COMING TO FIRST PLACE, AMIGOS!" shouted Carnivine. He was swimming at an incredible speed; he didn't even need a boat, unlike most of the others on the lake. While Meditite had little chance of ever catching up to Drapion, Carnivine might be able to pass her. Scizor cringed as Carnivine passed her at high speed, then moved forward, almost passing Drapion.

 **-static-**

 **"He's…insane," said Scizor, shuddering.**

 **-static-**

 **"My time has come, I shall win the game!" Carnivine laughed madly.**

 **-static-**

"We're making some progress," said Pidgeot, flying over the lake with Swellow. They had passed Marowak and Graveler, whose strong points had been the climbing and were therefore suffering on the lake portion of the race. Azumarill and Ludicolo were right behind them on the lake, both swimming through it.

"The lake isn't too long. We'll be over it soon!" Swellow said confidently. Drapion and Carnivine had already reached the end of the lake and were now on the running portion. Carnivine had actually passed Drapion and was now in first, much to the scorpion's dismay.

"I wonder how everyone else is doing?" Pidgeot asked, turning around. Deerling, Vaporeon, Jolteon, Luxray, Oshawott, Absol, Pachirisu, Kirlia, Jumpluff, and Weavile had all gone over the top of the mountain and were on their way down.

"Not as good as we are!" Swellow responded. "Come on, let's go!"

"Right!" agreed Pidgeot, soaring faster.

 **-static-**

Bidoof was the next competitor to reach the top of the mountain. She smiled as she got to the peak. "I feel like I'm at the top of the world!" she said in a content voice.

Then, she looked down. The last competitors to make it over the top of the mountain—Weavile, Jumpluff, and Kirlia—were all quite a distance ahead of her.

"I've got a plan!" she exclaimed. "BIDOOF!"

With that, Bidoof launched into her traditional Rollout attack to get her down the mountainside. Unfortunately, many of the Pokemon did not see her coming, and she ended up hitting Kirlia and Oshawott, knocking them out of the competition.

"Sorry, guys!" she called. "Don't worry, I'll win this for you!"

With that, she hopped in the water, and started swimming…Slowly. Very, very slowly. Absol, who was just getting a boat, shrugged before getting in the water and rowing much faster than she could swim. Bidoof panted and attempted to swim harder.

 **-static-**

 **"The best word for Bidoof is 'unpredictable,'" says Absol, shrugging.**

 **-static-**

"Willewillewillewillewilleyeah!" screamed Carnivine as he raced down the running path. "I'm in the lead! Victory is mine!"

He turned around. "Uh-oh," he muttered quietly. Though Drapion was still in second, she was being followed closely by Scizor. The red bug was gaining a lot of speed, and Carnivine knew it would be tough for him to retain his lead.

Scizor was also a bit worried. Behind her was Meditite, and the so-called "diaper girl" seemed to be in a different kind of mood than she had been before. Instead of being completely outraged, she seemed to have gained a lot of determination and was calmer. Scizor hoped that she wasn't going to catch up to Drapion because she knew that that would hold back her team, but she also knew that Meditite was much faster now that they were back on land. Soon, she passed Drapion, and the space between the purple scorpion and the martial artist seemed to close in dramatically.

"I'm coming for you, Drapion!" Meditite called up. Drapion ignored this and continued running along.

Pidgeot and Swellow swooped above the land from overhead. They were two of the fastest competitors, and being allowed to fly had really increased their speed. They were not far behind Meditite, and they were gaining speed on her just as she was gaining speed on Drapion.

"This is gonna be intense," said Swellow, eyeing Drapion and Meditite.

Pidgeot grinned. "Five bucks on Meditite."

"You're on."

 **-static-**

"Aye, this challenge be exhaustin', eh, laddie?" Crawdaunt asked Kricketune, who was swimming next to him.

"Can't argue with that," Kricketune responded, swimming further. By now, most Pokemon had climbed the mountain and were either on their way down the slope or swimming.

"But a swim is good for the old pirate soul," said Crawdaunt in a content tone.

"I just feel more like I'm drowning," Kricketune admitted honestly.

"It does feel that way at first, but once ye get used ta the sea, it's home," Crawdaunt responded. Though his voice was gruff, he sounded serene, like he was at home.

"I'm glad you like it," said Kricketune, gasping for breath. "I just can't wait for it to be over."

 **-static-**

"I'M GONNA WIN!" exclaimed Carnivine. "WILLEWILLEWILLEWILLEWILLEYEAH!"

"Not if I can help it," muttered Scizor. She was only a few steps behind Carnivine, but the finish line was in sight. She had thought she was one of the fastest campers on the island, but Carnivine gave her a run for her money.

She focused, then got ready to attack. "X-Scissor!" she shouted, attempting to slash Carnivine from behind. The attack made contact, and the Venus flytrap tumbled to the ground.

"What was that for, man?" Carnivine demanded angrily. Scizor shrugged and got up, running towards the finish line. She hoped she would be able to beat him there. What she hadn't been expecting was for Carnivine to reach out with a Vine Whip attack and restrain her from getting any further. She struggled for a bit, while Carnivine got up and prepared to attack her further.

"You snooze, you lose!" called Pidgeot from overhead. Both Carnivine and Scizor saw the shadows of Pidgeot and Swellow soaring in from overhead. While it appeared that Swellow was winning initially, Pidgeot put on a big burst of speed at the last second and beat her out, getting to the finish line first.

"Congratulations, Reshirams!" called Latias over the intercom. "Pidgeot has won the challenge! Zekroms, sorry, but Swellow was very close. She came in second. Maybe you would have won if Scizor and Carnivine here hadn't decided to tussle so close to the finish line."

Latios smirked at Scizor and Carnivine, who looked annoyed.

"Zekroms, on the other hand, will be going to the elimination ceremony," said Latios. "Sorry, guys, you have to vote out two today. Tough luck. The two with the most votes will be heading home. Head down to the campfire when you're ready!"

 **-static-**

 **"Slowking's booked his ticket home," said Garchomp, smirking as she voted for him.**

 **-static-**

 **"I'm sure it'll be Garchomp leaving today. Who wants to keep the girl who attacked her own teammates?" asked Slowking dryly.**

 **-static-**

 **"Garchomp! No more psychos!" Shroomish said fearfully.**

 **-static-**

 **"Electrike. I can't deal with this anymore," Minccino said in frustration.**

 **-static-**

 **"Buizel…I can't have competition! Minccino's supposed to be mine!" exclaimed Electrike.**

 **-static-**

 **"I'm voting out Wormadam," said Kirlia. "Sorry, guys, but Skitty needs help on this one."**

 **-static-**

 **"I'm voting out Munna, obviously," said Snivy, rolling her eyes.**

 **-static-**

 **"Do I even need to explain why I'm here?" Munna drawled sarcastically.**

 **-static-**

 **"I'll be voting out Electrike too. Minccino said her alliance is doing it. Maybe she can get some peace and quiet now," said Buizel.**

 **-static-**

 **"I don't really care who goes home as long as it's not me, and I don't think it will be…I'll vote Gligar because she cut her own rope," said Graveler.**

 **-static-**

 **"I don't really like Slowking," said Minun. "He's really mean. Garchomp may be scary and…well, she's mean too, but at least she doesn't go out of her way to do it! Slowking just insults people for no reason!"**

 **-static-**

 **"Jumpluff. Please. I can't deal with this anymore," moaned Weavile.**

 **-static-**

 **"Maybe we should vote for Jumpluff…I don't want Weavile to, like, strangle her," Hoothoot pondered.**

 **-static-**

 **"I'll vote for Electrike," said Skitty quietly. "Wormadam can wait…"**

 **-static-**

 **"I'm so glad I have Skitty under my power!" laughed Wormadam triumphantly. "We're voting out Garchomp today. Can't have her in the game too much longer!"**

 **-static-**

 **"Garchomp the psycho," said Cacnea plainly. "Though I don't think Slowking will last too much longer either."**

 **-static-**

 **"I decided our safest bet is to vote off Garchomp," Snorlax explained. "Togetic, Rampardos, Scizor, and Swellow all agreed with me. She's outlived her usefulness…she's just a danger to all of us at this point."**

 **-static-**

"Welcome to the campfire elimination ceremony!" announced Latias to the Zekroms, who once again sat around the campfire. "Let's begin. When your name is called, please come to get a Poffin."

"The first Poffin of the night goes to…Swellow," said Latios. Swellow looked relieved. "Apparently no one had a grudge against you for losing to Pidgeot at the last second."

"Thanks, guys," said Swellow appreciatively, munching on the Poffin.

"Also safe…we have Drapion, Deerling, and Scizor, who also did pretty well in the challenge," Latios continued. The other three girls went up to get their Poffins, looking satisfied and relieved.

"Cacnea, Kirlia, and Togetic," Latios added. The next three also went up to get their Poffins. Kirlia gave Skitty a sympathetic smile.

"Also, we have Flareon, Graveler, Jigglypuff, and Shellos," called Latias. Flareon grinned when he went up to get his Poffin, while Jigglypuff and Shellos smiled happily.

"Misdreavus, Pachirisu, Haunter, Skitty," Latios continued. Misdreavus and Haunter shared a smile as they went up. Pachirisu darted up and ate her Poffin in one whole bite. Skitty smiled shyly as she took hers, but frowned at the disapproving look from Wormadam.

"Plusle, Rampardos, and Snorlax," Latias added. The three boys went up to get Poffins. Plusle looked back at his sister with a worried expression on his face. Minun smiled back at him, and Plusle's expression brightened.

"Minccino, Weavile, Wooper, Hoothoot," Latios recited. Wooper bounced up happily to receive his Poffin, while Hoothoot and Minccino received theirs calmly. Weavile just looked happy for a chance to be away from Jumpluff for a few seconds.

"Two more of you received no more votes tonight," said Latias, her voice full of suspense. "After that, you all received some votes. The two that received no votes are…Shroomish and Minun."

Shroomish scuttled out of his seat, looking eager to receive his Poffin, while Minun strolled over more casually.

Nine Pokemon remained. Garchomp glared at Slowking, who looked back with a distasteful expression on his face. Munna and Snivy glared at each other. Electrike looked disappointed at being there, while Buizel looked confused. Wormadam looked angry that anyone would dare vote for her, while Jumpluff looked oblivious as usual, her thoughts focused on Weavile. Gligar looked annoyed, and spoke up before the hosts could continue.

"Really, guys?" she asked. "It was a simple mistake. I didn't mean to clip my rope."

"We'll see how many of these campers voted for you," said Latias. "Remember, only the two with the most votes will be going home today."

Gligar frowned in response and sat back in anticipation.

"The next two Poffins go to…Munna and Snivy. You only had one vote each anyway," said Latios, rolling his eyes. The two girls tried as hard as they could to eliminate each other, but everyone else had bigger targets.

"Also safe tonight…Buizel, with only one vote!" said Latias. Buizel's face relaxed when his name was called, and he went up to claim his Poffin.

"Gligar, you're safe too," Latios added. Gligar looked satisfied as her name was called and walked up to claim her Poffin.

At this point, only Garchomp, Slowking, Wormadam, Electrike, and Jumpluff were left. Latias paused, trying to build tension, until Wormadam called, "Get on with it!"

"Fine, you're safe, Wormadam," said Latias, annoyed. Wormadam went up to get her Poffin with a smug expression on her face.

"Jumpluff is also safe," said Latios. The cotton puff went up to claim her Poffin, while Weavile made a gagging expression.

Latios's eyes scanned the three remaining campers. "Slowking, Garchomp, and Electrike. You three are at the bottom, and two of you will be going home tonight. How does it feel to be in the bottom three?"

"It's pretty bad," Electrike admitted honestly.

"Much better once I know he's out of here," muttered Garchomp, jerking her head towards Slowking.

"Likewise," agreed Slowking.

Latios grinned. "Well, get ready. Because the final Poffin of the night…"

"Goes to…" Latias took over, enjoying the suspense.

"Slowking."

Slowking's expression darkened as he went up to claim his Poffin; it was clear he was enjoying the fact that Garchomp was being sent home. "See you later, shark girl," he scoffed. "Too bad your time here has been cut short."

Garchomp, who had previously been stunned, recovered at that comment. "WHY YOU LITTLE-"

"GET IN THE CONFESSIONAL!" said Latias, panicking. She pushed Garchomp with her psychic powers into the confessional and shut the door. "ELECTRIKE, YOU GO WHEN SHE'S DONE!"

Electrike sighed. "Bye, Minccino. It's too bad we never got to form our perfect relationship."

"Electrike, we were never going to form our perfect relationship!" Minccino shouted.

"But I thought maybe we could give it a shot!" Electrike said hopefully.

"I don't like you that way," said Minccino, shaking her head. "I like…someone else."

"Who would that be?" said Electrike, hurt. He didn't notice her eyes moving towards Buizel.

"Get over to the confessional, Electrike, Garchomp appears to be done," said Latios. With that, the sad green Electric-type walked over to the confessional.

After he had done so, Minccino walked over to Buizel. "Thanks for helping me with voting him out. It means a lot," she said sincerely.

"Anytime," he responded, smiling.

Minccino stopped for a second, then reached up, kissing him on the cheek. They both blushed as she walked away.

 **-static-**

 **"I'm not completely sure why I did that," Minccino admitted. "But it was worth it!"**

 **-static-**

 **"I am very happy with the way today turned out," said Buizel, laughing as he talked. "Who would have ever thought I'd find a nice girl this early in the show?"**

 **-static-**

 **Garchomp looked outraged in the confessional. "THE SHOW WAS NOT MEANT TO END LIKE THIS! RAAAARRRGGH!" she shrieked, pounding the walls and yelling. "SLOWKING, YOU'D BETTER WATCH YOUR BACK!"**

 **"IF I WANT ANYONE TO WIN, IT'S DRAPION. I CAN RESPECT HER TOUGHNESS. AND I HOPE SHE KICKS THAT SLOWKING'S BUTT. ANYONE BUT HIM CAN WIN FOR ALL I CARE! RAAAAAARRRRGGGHHH!" she roared once again. Then she pushed open the door and stomped out before Electrike, who seemed intimidated. She turned around and punched the wall, leaving a dent. Then she stomped away again.**

 **-static-**

 **"I hoped I was going to date Minccino, but I guess it wasn't meant to be," said Electrike sadly. "Maybe we aren't meant to be together. She's so cute, though! I wish I could find another girl as cute as she is. It could be a while before I find anyone like that, though. I mean, maybe I could try to host a party for the eliminated competitors or something! Eventually, one of the cute girls will show up. It'll have to wait a while, though. The only girls who have been eliminated are Garchomp and Smoochum and…Nidoran."**

 **He stopped for a second. "Nidoran. Huh."**

 **-static-**

Electrike looked less than thrilled to be getting on a boat with Garchomp. The hosts pushed them off the island and onto the boat, and Garchomp sat on one side of the boat, giving death glares to the driver as well as Electrike. They sailed away, quickly leaving the island behind.

"Well, that's that!" said Latias. "Electrike and Garchomp have been eliminated. No surprises for me there."

"Me neither," agreed Latios. "But enough of that. Some important stuff happened this episode. And what about next time? What will happen with Marowak's alliance? What will Azumarill do with her knowledge about Pidgeot and Swellow? Will Skitty ever escape from Wormadam's control? How happy will Minccino be without Electrike here?"

Latias finished the statements. "All this and more next time on TOTAL…POKEMON…ISLAND!"

 **-static-**

And that's it for this episode! I thought this one was pretty good, though obviously it was quite long. Garchomp and Electrike are sent home. Garchomp has been a pretty frequently mentioned character, so some people may have found it surprising, but probably not...she was uncontrollable. On the other hand, Electrike has been a minor character who hasn't helped the team much due to his obsession with impressing Minccino. Slowking was right; his plan to eliminate Garchomp by manipulating her worked quite well. And speaking of manipulation, we have quite a bit of that this chapter. Wormadam manipulates Skitty, while Marowak is working on manipulating a whole alliance. A lot of romance occurred this chapter as well; Pidgeot and Swellow seem to have a pretty solid relationship, though it's not as secret as they'd like it to be.

This was a long chapter that may give away hints to a lot of future events! Leave some predictions in your review!

Fun Fact Time!

Garchomp: Garchomp is one of the strongest Pokemon on the island, and she can actually be a decent team player under the right circumstances, such as in the dodgeball challenge. However, due to her extreme anger problems, she can be easily distracted and manipulated because she tends to think with her pride and not with her brain. She also is a bit of a sadist because she enjoys beating people up, but she's worked on this because she knows she can't get through life just based on beating people up. However, she still does it from time to time, like when she tried to beat up Slowking.

Electrike: Electrike's crush on Minccino is not a unique thing. Electrike tends to meet attractive girls and overestimate his chances with them. He believes he is a lot more of a ladies' man than he really is and that he just hasn't found the "right" girl for him yet. However, secretly, he is so used to being rejected by attractive girls that he would almost be afraid to date one. He has never been in a relationship before and would be nervous about whether he was doing it right or not.

Here's the team list for this chapter, complete with the eliminations of Garchomp and Electrike. By the way, I forgot to mention it until now, but it might not be a bad idea for you to leave the previous chapter open when reading the next chapter so you can have a list of who's on which team available at any time. My cast is quite large and I think doing this might help with getting used to them.

Fiery Reshirams (34 members):

Absol, Aipom, Azumarill, Bidoof, Carnivine, Cherubi, Cloyster, Crawdaunt, Glaceon, Glameow, Happiny, Jolteon, Kingdra, Kricketune, Ludicolo, Luxray, Marowak, Meditite, Meowth, Mime Jr., Mothim, Mudkip, Numel, Oshawott, Patrat, Pidgeot, Pidove, Scraggy, Smeargle, Spiritomb, Tepig, Vaporeon, Woobat, Wynaut

Stormy Zekroms (31 members):

Buizel, Cacnea, Deerling, Drapion, Flareon, Gligar, Graveler, Haunter, Hoothoot, Jigglypuff, Jumpluff, Kirlia, Minccino, Minun, Misdreavus, Munna, Pachirisu, Plusle, Rampardos, Scizor, Shellos, Shroomish, Skitty, Slowking, Snivy, Snorlax, Swellow, Togetic, Weavile, Wooper, Wormadam

Preview for next chapter: Many more campers form friendships and bonds, and some of these could even lead to new alliances. Meanwhile, one alliance attempts to get an idea of how to dominate their competition. One Pokemon is forced to take sides in a conflict that has been brewing for a long time. The challenge seems to be a traditional children's game, but it turns intense when the campers get serious about it. One Pokemon is eliminated for their bad decisions, while another is eliminated due to bad luck.

And that's it for this chapter! I'll try to get the next one up sooner than this one was up!

Garchomp: Review or I'll bash your head in! And don't think I won't. I'm eager to cause pain.

Electrike: Um, yeah, review. Maybe it'll help me find a girlfriend. I mean, I'm on the market!


	5. Hide and Sneak!

Hey guys! I'm so sorry this thing took so long to write. It's a long chapter and I've had a lot going on lately with finals. I'll try to keep them more consistent, but this chapter has a lot of character development which is nice! I hope you like it! Leave some comments to let me know what you think, I'd really appreciate it! Thanks so much and enjoy the show!

 **-static-**

"Welcome back to Total Pokemon Island!" exclaimed Latias, the usual host, accompanied by her brother and co-host, Latios.

"Last time, we eliminated the psycho land shark, Garchomp, and the flirting failure, Electrike, in a triathlon challenge," said Latios, seeming amused by the last campers to leave the island. "We've still got 65 campers here though."

"Arceus, that's a lot of them," muttered Latias. Latios nodded in agreement. "Well, we might as well go on to what's happening to them!"

"Take it away," said Latios to the cameraman, an Axew intern. He grinned and began showing the previous clips.

 **-static-**

"What do you guys think of the other campers?" asked Minun. She was hanging out with Plusle and Pachirisu. The two were really her main friends on the island, and she was glad to have them.

"I mean, I don't really know the campers from the other team," Plusle pointed out. "We don't really associate with them."

"Some of them seem pretty cool though!" said Pachirisu energetically. "I mean, look at Wynaut and Oshawott! I wouldn't mind talking to them!"

Plusle shrugged. "True, but they have Cherubi. They can keep her."

Minun shuddered. "I second that motion."

"I kinda like our team!" Pachirisu added. "You guys are cool, and the others aren't too bad either! Except maybe Wormadam, she's, like, awful! And Jumpluff's pretty annoying, and Graveler's really, like, rude! I guess!" Pachirisu spoke all this in her normal manner of speaking—incredibly fast. She was a hyper girl and had a lot of energy. Minun and Plusle didn't mind this at all, though some of the other campers found it strange and annoying.

"I think Wooper and Shellos are pretty cool," said Plusle, smiling. "I've talked to them quite a bit."

"Jigglypuff, Kirlia, and Skitty aren't so bad either," said Minun. "I guess our team isn't that bad."

"We've lost the first few challenges, though," said Plusle doubtfully. "What if we keep losing?"

"It won't come to that," assured Minun. "We're not down by that many campers. We'll catch up!"

"Yeah, we have to!" Pachirisu exclaimed positively. Plusle sighed, hoping she was right.

"Plusle, it's okay," said Minun, putting an arm around her brother's shoulder. "Don't worry."

"All right, I'll try," he said, taking a deep breath.

 **-static-**

 **"I don't have a lot of self-confidence," said Plusle, frowning. "I guess I just worry a lot. I always feel like I'm making the wrong choice in elimination ceremonies; that's why I don't like doing them. What if it gets to the point where I have to choose between friends? It's a lot of responsibility, voting people out."**

 **-static-**

 **"Plusle's stronger than he thinks, but he needs a lot of support," Minun explained. "He doesn't believe in himself like he should. I know he could be a powerful player—we both can—if we work hard and make sure we're key players in the game. He just has to worry less and get his mind on the victory."**

 **She smiled. "I'm a good sister, though. I won't let him down. We're both going to get as far in the competition as possible!"**

 **-static-**

 **Pachirisu paused in the confessional. "Wait, I'm really confused. So, like, Minun's the happier one but she's got a negative charge, and Plusle has a positive charge but a more negative outlook on life? Or something? I'm really confused, honestly."**

 **She paused. "I'm gonna go get a slushy from the cafeteria, this is making my brain hurt."**

 **-static-**

Wooper sat around the Zekroms' boys cabin, bored. He never got to see Wynaut these days. His best friend was on the other team, but they rarely ever got to talk. It sort of spoiled the surprise of signing up for a game show with your best friend if immediately after, you were put on separate teams and barely ever had the chance to talk to each other.

Suddenly, a head popped through the door and Shellos peeked in. "Hey, Wooper! Plusle, Minun, and Pachirisu said they're going to the cafeteria to hang out. Want to join them?"

"Oh, sure!" he said, hopping off the bed. "That sounds perfect!"

"What were you doing in here before?" asked Shellos curiously.

"Oh, I was just thinking," said Wooper. "It kinda sucks that I'm not on the same team as Wynaut, you know? We both signed up for the show and couldn't even get on the same team. I just wish we had more time to talk."

"Yeah, we really don't get to talk to the other team as much as we should be able to," agreed Shellos. "I mean, we're going to all have to get to know them at some point! We're on the same show!"

"I know," agreed Wooper. "Maybe after the challenge, we can try hanging out with them?"

"I like that idea," agreed Shellos. "I haven't really even gotten to talk to Wynaut. Maybe you can introduce me."

"Sure!" said Wooper enthusiastically. "Now come on, let's head down to the cafeteria. Our friends are waiting and I'm getting hungry."

"Uh…guys?" came a quiet voice from behind them. Wooper and Shellos turned around and saw Shroomish standing there in the cabin. He smiled slightly as he walked up to them.

"Would you mind if I came with you to hang out in the cafeteria?" he asked, sounding nervous.

"Of course not! Come on!" said Wooper, giving him a large smile. Shellos, on the other hand, looked concerned.

"Has something been bothering you, Shroomish?" she asked.

He sighed. "It's just that I don't have many friends here on the island. I'm not good at meeting people. I feel a lot better now that Garchomp and Smoochum are gone, but still…I just have trouble getting used to new people."

Shellos smiled gently. "Well, you're welcome to hang around with us, Shroomish," she said.

"Thanks, guys," he said gratefully.

"Anytime!" said Wooper, nodding. "Now come on, new friend! Fun awaits us in the cafeteria! AWAY!"

Wooper dashed off in the direction of the cafeteria. Shellos rolled her eyes and slithered after him, Shroomish following. Unfortunately, the other two were much faster than Shellos.

"Guys, wait up! Guys!" she called desperately. "Ugh, I hate being a slug."

 **-static-**

 **"It's nice that I have friends on this team!" said Wooper, smiling. "I want to have friends on both teams though. Maybe Wynaut can introduce me to more of his friends soon!"**

 **-static-**

 **"Wooper's a really nice guy, and I'm glad to have had the chance to get to know him," said Shellos, smiling. "Not everyone would have opened up to Shroomish like that, but Wooper just accepted him without even having to think about it. I really respect that."**

 **"Honestly, though, is he ever tired or sad? He's always happy," said Shellos, curiously. "The worst I've seen from him is boredom, and even that's pretty rare. I wish I had that kind of energy."**

 **-static-**

 **"I'm lucky Wooper and Shellos accepted me," Shroomish said. "They're really the only friends I've had here…" He sniffed. "Oh Arceus, I'm crying…"**

 **-static-**

"Hello, friends!" said Wynaut, smiling. He had gathered Ludicolo, Crawdaunt, and Kricketune in the woods. The four of them had been talking a lot lately, which was surprising, but they all actually liked and got along with each other. "I've gathered you here today for a purpose! Not just for fun, although having fun is awesome. Guess what it is!"

Ludicolo, Crawdaunt, and Kricketune looked at each other and shrugged. The four of them were an unlikely friendship—the partying dancer, the pirate, and the musician all being friends with the happy-go-lucky Wynaut. Still, the four of them were all sort of misfits, and they fit in well in each other's company.

"I don't know, mon. Why are we here?" asked Ludicolo, breaking the silence.

"If it be a treasure hunt, I be in!" said Crawdaunt enthusiastically.

Kricketune rolled his eyes. "Crawdaunt, do you really think Wynaut found a treasure map? On this island?"

Crawdaunt shook his head and sighed. "Probably not."

"Actually, I did," said Wynaut, holding up a treasure map, "But that's irrelevant! That's not why I called you here!"

"Hold on, I want the treasure map!" Crawdaunt protested.

"We'll do it later," Wynaut promised. Crawdaunt looked disappointed but nodded. "There's another purpose why I've called you here today."

"Uh, nature hike?" asked Ludicolo curiously.

"You guys are bad guessers!" said Wynaut, laughing. "No, I've called you here to make a proposal!"

"Wynaut, you're a good friend, but I'm not marrying you," Kricketune joked.

"What's the proposal, mon?" asked Ludicolo, smirking at Kricketune's joke.

"I want to make an alliance with you guys!" Wynaut said, smiling.

"An alliance?" asked Ludicolo blankly. "Like, a group working together to get further in the game?"

"Pretty much," said Wynaut.

"I don't know, mon, don't those have kind of a bad reputation?" asked Ludicolo unsurely.

"Yar, I've heard there be many monsters in the alliances…truly, it can be a graveyard for many players in the game," Crawdaunt agreed.

"Guys, we're not going to be an evil alliance or anything!" said Wynaut, rolling his eyes. "We're just going to agree to work together and not vote each other off. Maybe if we vote together, we'll all have a greater shot of keeping ourselves in the game."

"I still don't know, mon," Ludicolo said. He looked as if he were pondering it still.

Kricketune was the first to speak up after this. "I think we should do it. I'm in, Wynaut!"

"Yay!" exclaimed Wynaut happily.

"Why d' ye think joinin' the alliance is the best course of action, matey?" asked Crawdaunt.

"He has a logical point," explained Kricketune. "We all want to get further in the game, so if we vote together and promise not to vote against each other, we'll get a lot further. Especially since four votes all for the same person is a lot more than one vote for four different people. It makes sense, and it's likely to keep all of us in the game for a longer period of time, not including automatic eliminations, which hasn't happened to anyone yet other than Nidoran."

"…You've got a point, mon," agreed Ludicolo. He turned to Wynaut. "I'm in, mon."

"Okay, awesome!" Wynaut cheered. "Crawdaunt?"

"I'll do it, lad."

"Yes! Perfect!" exclaimed Wynaut. "I was hoping this would work! Thanks, guys! You're great friends!"

"Hey…does your alliance have room for one more?" asked a voice from the woods. The four guys all turned to see Mime Jr. walking out from behind a tree. She smiled guiltily as they looked at her.

"I went out for a walk in the woods, but I heard you guys talking…I sort of eavesdropped," she admitted, blushing. "But you four are pretty cool, and an alliance seems like a good idea. Can I join?"

Ludicolo froze. "You were spying on us? Not cool, mon!"

"Sorry!" she protested. "It was an accident!"

"Arr, she be tellin' the truth," Crawdaunt verified.

"How do you know?" asked Kricketune skeptically.

"Pirates' instinct, matey," Crawdaunt explained, smirking.

"Ah."

"We're all gonna have to agree if we want to let you in," said Wynaut. "Is that okay?"

"Um, sure," said Mime Jr., surprised that her request was being taken so seriously. "You guys go right ahead."

The four guys huddled into a small group to discuss what to do.

"Who's for letting her in?" whispered Wynaut.

"Are you?" asked Ludicolo.

"…Yeah, kinda," admitted Wynaut. "She's really nice!"

"Not a bad player, either," admitted Kricketune.

"Shiver me timbers!" exclaimed Crawdaunt quietly. "Are we really letting her in so soon?"

"Do you think it's a bad idea?" asked Wynaut.

Crawdaunt paused. "No, not really. I say we give her a whirl."

"Okay, two votes for," said Wynaut. "Ludicolo, Kricketune, what about you?"

"Sure," said Kricketune. "We've got nothing to lose by letting her in."

"I'll do it too, mon," Ludicolo added. "The more the merrier, right?"

"Right!" agreed Wynaut. He turned back to Mime Jr. "Good news—you're in!"

"Awesome!" she said, looking shocked. "I didn't really expect you to let me in. Thanks, guys."

"No problem!" said Wynaut, giving her a genuine smile, which she returned.

"I promise I'll work hard," she vowed. "I won't let you guys down!"

"We won't let you down either!" Wynaut promised. "Let's work together to get further in the game!"

The new alliance cheered before sitting down to discuss other stuff besides the alliance. Mime Jr. smiled, glad they had let her in. She liked these Pokemon already.

 **-static-**

 **"I can't believe they let me in!" exclaimed Mime Jr. "I'm shocked. But I'm glad they did. They're all really nice, especially Wynaut."**

 **She smiles shyly. "This should give me a chance to get to know him—I mean, them—better."**

 **-static-**

 **"It's pretty cool that Mime Jr. wanted to join," said Wynaut, smiling. "I'm glad people are already wanting to join! It means we're doing something right!"**

 **-static-**

 **"Hey, no harm done, mon," Ludicolo announced. "It's okay if Mime Jr. wanted to join, I don't mind her."**

 **-static-**

Pidove, Oshawott, Smeargle, Woobat, and Tepig were all hanging out in the Reshirams' girls' cabin, talking about what kinds of challenges they'd be good at.

"I hope we get something artistic soon," Smeargle said thoughtfully. "I'm good at art."

"What kinds do you like to do mostly?" asked Tepig curiously.

"Painting's my main thing," explained Smeargle. "I like drawing too, though. I can sculpt as well, and I'm not bad at computer art either—I can even do some 3D stuff."

"I wish I was artistic," sighed Woobat. Then she paused for a second. "Actually, I wish I could see art. Being almost blind really doesn't help."

"There are lots of other things you can do!" Smeargle offered helpfully. "You said you can sing, right?"

"Oh…yeah, I can do that," said Woobat, blushing a little bit. "I'm not a bad singer, I guess."

"I'm good at lots of things!" boasted Oshawott. "I can break-dance, and I can juggle, and I can sword-fight, and I can do advanced acrobatics, and I can drive!"

"You have your license?" asked Pidove, surprised.

"Yep!" Oshawott said, nodding proudly. "I only failed seven times!"

Pidove nodded obligingly with no comment. Woobat looked at Pidove.

"What can you do, Pidove?" she asked kindly.

He jumped as she said this. "O-oh…I d-don't know," he stuttered. "I can't d-do much really…" Woobat frowned but didn't say anything.

"Personally, I wouldn't mind a quiz challenge," said Tepig. "I'm pretty smart, and I tend to remember random facts, so that would be my thing."

Smeargle pulled out her computer and typed some stuff. "Who is Guildmaster Wigglytuff's right hand man?"

"Chatot," said Tepig without even blinking.

"How long does a Ninetales's curse last?" asked Smeargle, continuing reading the trivia page.

"A thousand years," said Tepig, smirking.

"How many Eevee evolutions are there?" continued Smeargle.

"Eight," Tepig responded quickly.

"What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen Swellow?" challenged Oshawott.

"What do you mean? Hoenn or Kalos Swellow?" asked Tepig.

"Huh? I…I don't know that!" complained Oshawott. Suddenly, he fell to the floor as if by an unexplained force.

"That was odd and should have been stopped," said Pidove, shuddering.

"Let's go to the cafeteria, guys," suggested Woobat. The other four followed her to the cafeteria where they planned to eat snacks.

Meanwhile, Glaceon, who had been lying on her bunk pretending to read, followed them out of the cafeteria after a minute.

 **-static-**

 **"We have odd conversations sometimes," said Pidove, grimacing.**

 **-static-**

 **"I'm sure Pidove's good at something, but he hasn't told anyone what!" Woobat said sadly. "I hope he gets to show it before one of us leaves the competition."**

 **-static-**

 **"What was that force? It was like magic!" said Oshawott, spooked.**

 **-static-**

 **"Tepig is, like, really smart," admitted Smeargle, astonished. "Wow."**

 **-static-**

 **"I suck at physical challenges, but I'll excel at mental ones once we get there!" promised Tepig.**

 **-static-**

 **"Marowak told us it might be a good idea to spy on and gather intel about our fellow competitors," explained Glaceon quietly. "I don't know if what I found out there is useful though…hopefully it will be. I'm not great at spying…"**

 **-static-**

"I'm back," Glaceon announced as she slipped into the Reshirams' boys' cabin where she had met with Luxray, Marowak, and Meditite before the previous challenge.

"Great!" said Marowak, sounding pleased. He was sitting with Luxray and Meditite and they had clearly been talking. "What did you find out?"

"Not much," Glaceon admitted. "Smeargle said she'd be good at artistic challenges, but we knew that. Apparently Woobat can sing. Pidove doesn't have much of a talent, while Oshawott's abilities just seem very random. Tepig is really smart though; he might be someone we have to watch out for."

"How so?" asked Marowak.

"Let's just say he seems to kind of know everything," said Glaceon. "In a trivia or quiz challenge, we'd all lose."

"Don't you think having him on the team is a good idea, then?" asked Meditite.

"Oh, for sure," said Glaceon. "But we should keep an eye on him. Out of that group, I think he's the most dangerous."

"Good," said Marowak. "Tepig's not even too dangerous; if he's our biggest threat in that group then I'm not worried."

"What were you guys doing?" asked Glaceon.

"I was watching Carnivine, Meowth, and Patrat; they were all talking in the cafeteria. Cloyster popped up too, but left quickly. Something about the nuclear destroyer he left in the cabin," Luxray muttered.

"I was watching Absol for a bit; he's kind of a wild card," explained Meditite. "But so far nothing to worry about from what I can tell."

"And I was watching the other team," Marowak finished. "Not only does it help to know what threats are on our team, it helps to know who we're up against. I was watching Weavile, Gligar, Hoothoot, and Jumpluff after Jumpluff found them. Obviously she's not a threat, though the other three could be."

"In my group, they all just seemed insane, but I know Carnivine's a threat," Luxray stated. "Cloyster might be. He's annoying, so I wouldn't mind getting rid of him. Meowth and Patrat aren't dangerous at all. Meowth only got as far as he did in the dodgeball challenge because nobody thought he was a threat, and Haunter still managed to take him out with that surprise attack."

"We'll have to keep an eye on that group that hangs around with Tepig, though," Marowak thought out loud. "If they chose to ally, they'd be a danger to our voting power. We need to keep ourselves as the most powerful force in the game through sheer numbers. In a game where voting determines who stays in the competition and who goes, numbers are everything."

"You're right," said a female voice from near the door of the cabin. As she walked out of the shadow, the group could see it was Kingdra. "That's why I've decided to join back up with your alliance."

"You want to join back with us?" Luxray asked, scowling. "Why should we trust you?"

"As you said, numbers are everything," Kingdra responded coolly. "Joining the alliance would be a mutual benefit. I get protection, you get voting power, and we all get a better shot at targeting those who we want to eliminate. I admit I thought that playing the game solo may have been the way to go before, but now I see that an alliance would really make everything easier…for you and for me. So if you're still willing to have me, I'd like to join."

Luxray looked at Marowak. It was plainly written on his face that he did not trust Kingdra. However, Marowak merely looked at her and smiled.

"Welcome to the alliance, Kingdra," Marowak said, still smiling. "We're glad to have you."

 **-static-**

 **"Luxray's right—I don't trust Kingdra at all," explained Marowak. "But we do need her voting power. If she tries to backstab me—and I suspect she will—I will see it coming. For now, I see benefits for everyone."**

 **-static-**

 **"I really think joining the alliance is the way to go here," said Kingdra. "I won't vote any of them off, or even target them. But they can't all last until the merge. Once they become threats more than allies, I'll take care of them. For now, they'll help me get rid of all of those who stand in my way."**

 **Kingdra laughed cruelly. "This game is as good as mine."**

 **-static-**

 **"What's Marowak playing at, letting Kingdra into the alliance?" Glaceon wondered. "I can tell Luxray didn't like it…I hope he knows what he's doing."**

 **-static-**

 **Luxray snarled. "Make no mistake, Kingdra, I'm watching you."**

 **-static-**

Carnivine, Meowth, and Patrat were all sitting in the cafeteria at a table together. Carnivine was wolfing down plate after plate of food while Meowth and Patrat stared at him, stunned.

"Man, you eat…like…a lot," said Patrat, wide-eyed.

"Yeah," agreed Meowth, continuing to stare at Carnivine.

"It keeps me happy! And when I'm happy I'm much less scary!" Carnivine assured them. "WILLEWILLEWILLEWILLEWILLEYEAH!"

"What does that mean?" Patrat whispered to Meowth.

Meowth pulled out a computer and began typing. "Wait, I have no idea how you spell that," he muttered, putting his computer away.

"Now, my children, we must invent a strategy we can use to defeat the others," said Carnivine in a serious tone, staring the other two right in the eyes. Meowth and Patrat stared back.

"Like, what kind of strategy?" asked Patrat.

"Well, my feathered friend, we are an alliance, so we must protect each other!" Carnivine exclaimed. Patrat decided not to point out the two flaws with that statement—he had no feathers, and talking to Carnivine did not mean having an alliance with him.

"Here's what we're gonna do," Carnivine explained. "Here's my master plan. It involves us each playing a role. I will find players we want to eliminate! We will all vote for them, and Meowth can try to sabotage them in the challenge to make more people want to vote for them! Any questions?"

Meowth looked unsure but shook his head. Meanwhile, Patrat raised his hand.

"What am I supposed to do?" he asked.

Carnivine pondered. "Go make me some s'mores."

"Okay," said Patrat, walking into the cafeteria. He found chocolate and marshmallows sitting out on the counter, but for graham crackers he would have to look in the pantry. He opened the door and…

"CURSE YOU!" came a loud voice, as Cloyster fell to the ground. Patrat jumped back in shock—he hadn't expected to see the strange, criminally insane oyster inside the pantry for some reason.

"Cloyster! What were you doing in there?!" he asked, shocked.

Cloyster cackled. "Well, you see, I was working on my nuclear destroyer. But, alas, now that you've discovered my work in the pantry, I will have to move my evil, despicable, horrible project of annihilation, death, and doom to a more fitting and secretive location."

"Can I see your nuclear destroyer?" asked Patrat.

Cloyster paused. "Okay, strange rat creature. But if you touch it, mess with it, or any other such form of sabotage, I will personally behead the 17 people closest to you."

Patrat gulped. "Understood, Cloyster."

Cloyster scowled. "Ahem. That would be 'O Great Dark Lord Cloyster, Master of All Destruction and Terror, Overlord of All Things Evil, Destroyer of Races and Planets, Emperor of Doom and Despair' to you."

"Oh. Sorry," said Patrat, looking sad.

"It is okay, peasant slave. You did not know," said Cloyster in a solemn tone.

"Yeah, okay…I'm gonna get graham crackers and leave. All right?"

"But don't you want to see my nuclear destroyer?" asked Cloyster, looking sad.

"I think Carnivine's already waiting for me," said Patrat apologetically. "I'll look at it some other time, don't worry!"

"Fine," said Cloyster, looking a bit put out. "But you'd better not be lying to me! Remember, 17 people!"

"Got it!" said Patrat, darting out of the cafeteria with the graham crackers. "Whew…that was close!"

"What was close?" asked Carnivine, whose face appeared upside down above Patrat's. Patrat screamed and dropped the crackers.

"He tied himself to the fan so he could hang upside down," Meowth offered helpfully, looking at Patrat.

Patrat shrugged. "Makes as much sense as anything these days."

 **-static-**

 **"I'm not even sure how I got involved in helping Carnivine," Patrat admitted.**

 **-static-**

 **"Meowth and Patrat are good minions," said Carnivine, surprisingly gently. "I wonder when their birthdays are. I think I'll get them onions."**

 **-static-**

 **"One day, even the small rat creature will bow down to my might!" Cloyster said, laughing psychotically. "AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"**

 **-static-**

"Skitty!" called Wormadam. The tired pink cat walked up to her at her call. "Sit down, I want to discuss something with you."

"What is it?" asked Skitty, looking exhausted.

"We need to discuss strategies to keep ourselves in the game," explained Wormadam. "What are your suggestions?"

"Well, we need to do well in the challenges," Skitty started. "People who do well are less likely to get voted out—"

"We're fine then!" said Wormadam. "I have no problem with the challenges, of course. You, on the other hand, might have some trouble, but I can help you through the challenges without any problems."

"Right, just like last time," Skitty muttered under her breath.

"Did you say something?" Wormadam asked.

"No."

"Okay, well, that's one strategy," said Wormadam, sounding reassured. "What else?"

"Make sure your team likes you," said Skitty, wondering if she could be any more obvious. "They'll vote you out if they dislike you. The key is to be friends with as many people as possible."

"Well, again, we should have no problem!" Wormadam exclaimed. "I've made sure to put on a positive impression for everyone here! All you have to do is work at the same, okay? I can't lose my only ally."

"Right," Skitty responded, getting aggravated. "We also have to not sabotage our teammates or cause any problems, because that's what got Garchomp eliminated."

"Easy enough," said Wormadam. "I should have thought of those myself. All right, Skitty, you're free to go for now. I'll see you later."

Skitty nodded and left without a word—the less she spoke to Wormadam usually meant the better her day went. And having Wormadam involved at all usually made it worse as a given.

As she was thinking these things, she was barely paying attention. She had no idea she was being careless until—BAM!—she collided directly with Flareon.

"Oh, sorry!" he exclaimed, backing up. "I didn't mean to collide with you. That was really careless of me."

"No, it's my fault," said Skitty. "I should've been paying attention, I got distracted by my thoughts."

Flareon rolled his eyes. "So it's both of our faults."

"I guess," said Skitty, smiling a little.

Flareon yawned. "So how have you been, anyway?"

"Good," Skitty responded. Then she paused. "Actually, not so great."

Flareon frowned. "Why is that?"

She sighed. "Ugh…it's complicated."

Flareon sat down on the ground. "I'm not going anywhere. Enlighten me."

"It's not your problem," said Skitty, looking down. "It's my problem, I should deal with it."

"You don't have to deal with all your problems by yourself," Flareon pointed out. "You look like you need to talk. So talk."

"You don't even know me that well!" Skitty protested.

Flareon rolled his eyes and smirked. "We've been here for maybe a week. I don't know anyone in this place that well, except my sister, and she's on the opposite team. I talk to Haunter, Buizel, and Cacnea, mostly, but I don't even know anyone here that well. At this point, it's a question of trust."

Skitty paused and looked into Flareon's eyes. It looked like he meant what he was saying.

"Okay, I'll tell you," she decided. "Lately, I've been working with Wormadam—"

"Ew, Wormadam?! Why?" exclaimed Flareon, wrinkling his nose. "She's awful!"

"She forced me into it!" Skitty countered.

"How did she do that?" said Flareon, remaining unconvinced.

"She told me she would vote me out if I didn't work for her," explained the cat Pokemon. "I didn't want that to happen, so I did what she said."

Flareon paused. "So let me get this straight. You've been working for Wormadam, a Pokemon you hate, because she said she would vote for you if you didn't."

"Yeah…pretty much," said Skitty, blushing. "It sounds bad when you put it like that."

"It is bad!" Flareon exclaimed hotly. "You're on a team with 31 other Pokemon. Her one single vote isn't going to get you eliminated. Look at Snivy and Munna!"

"I thought she might convince other Pokemon to vote with her!" Skitty protested.

"I don't know, nobody really likes her," said Flareon, looking unconvinced. "I probably wouldn't vote with her if she came to me. I don't know who's desperate enough on the team to work with her." Skitty stared at him. "I didn't mean like that, I meant in a voting ceremony, other than you!" he amended hastily.

"Yeah, I don't know…it's weird," said Skitty, sighing.

"What has she been making you do?" asked Flareon in a quieter voice.

"Stupid stuff…she's been making me make her leafy dresses, get her food, organize her stuff, target people in eliminations, and of course threatening me if I try to get out of the situation," said Skitty bitterly. "Not to mention I had to sacrifice my position in the last challenge so I could go back and carry her up the mountain."

"That's ridiculous!" said Flareon. He was clearly angry now. He let out a burst of fire from his mouth. "I'm gonna go talk to Wormadam! She has no right to do this to you."

"Flareon—" Skitty said, but he continued.

"If I can't talk sense into her, then I'll burn it into her!" said Flareon. "No Bug-and-Grass-type is going to say no when they're talking to a Fire-type! I could take her down any day!"

"Flareon—" Skitty repeated.

"And if she still says no, we'll vote her out! It's just ridiculous! How can she think—"

"FLAREON!" Skitty shouted. "Enough!"

Flareon turned back to her and his eyes softened. "Sorry…I took that over the top."

"Yeah, you kinda did," she responded, smiling a little bit. "I can't have you, or anyone else, taking care of my problems."

"Well, someone needs to," he said, defending himself.

She looked back up at him. "You're right. But that someone has to be me. Thanks for making me see that."

"Anytime," he said, smiling awkwardly. "By the way, I'm really sorry about the whole…thing that just happened. I just get angry and hotheaded and impulsive—"

"It's okay," said Skitty.

"No, I shouldn't have done that. It was stupid," said Flareon, sighing.

Skitty walked over to him. "It's not a problem. Really."

Flareon smiled back at her. "Thanks. Now go talk to Wormadam."

"I will," she said, turning around.

"And Skitty?" called Flareon. She turned around. "Get your friends to vote out Wormadam tonight. You can count on me and my friends to do it."

Skitty smiled back at Flareon, and it was a real, genuine smile. "Thanks. It means a lot."

Then, a voice blared over the intercom. "CAMPERS!" came Latios's voice. "CAMPERS!"

There was a pause. "Crap, is this thing on? Latias is always the one who does this. Okay, I think it's better?"

"CAMPERS!"

"WE CAN HEAR YOU!" came Weavile's annoyed voice from across the camp.

"GOOD TO HEAR! MEET ME IN THE CAFETERIA THEN! I'LL EXPLAIN THE CHALLENGE THERE!" said Latios, finishing up his announcement. "THAT'S IT, LATIOS OUT!"

Skitty sighed. "Maybe later, then."

 **-static-**

 **"I know my friends have been telling me to vote out Wormadam for ages, but the way Flareon described it just clicked with me," Skitty explained. "I don't know if I would have done it if not for him."**

 **-static-**

 **"I…can be kind of impulsive, hotheaded, angry, and a lot of other stupid things," explained Flareon. "I'm normally pretty laid back, but when I feel strongly about something…well…watch out."**

 **-static-**

When Skitty got to the challenge, she saw Deerling, Kirlia, Minccino, and Jigglypuff waiting for her. She walked right up to them. "Guys, I'm doing it. Whatever happens, I'm not working with Wormadam after this."

Kirlia looked thrilled and Deerling grinned, while Minccino looked shocked. Jigglypuff smiled and said, "What brought you to the decision?"

Skitty smiled. "A different perspective."

"Hello, campers, welcome to the next challenge," said Latios. Latias was next to him, grinning. "I think you'll like today's challenge."

"Which is?" asked Numel.

"It's hide-and seek!" Latias explained. "You guys all hide, and we hunt you down! Last competitor still in hiding wins for their team!"

"Sounds simple enough," commented Misdreavus.

"Is there anything else you're not telling us?" asked Glameow skeptically.

"Oh, thanks for reminding us, Glameow!" said Latios, smirking. Glameow sighed and hung her head. "Today's elimination ceremony will be another double elimination. You'll do what you did last time; the two Pokemon with the most votes will be eliminated. And you still only get one vote."

"You guys sure like your double eliminations," said Spiritomb, sounding annoyed.

"We've got a lot of competitors to eliminate, Spiritomb. This makes things easier on us," responded Latios.

"Right…so the challenge is pretty simple, actually. Latios and I, as well as some interns, are going to search all around and try to look for you. The last one still in hiding, or the last several people on the same team, win for their team. The last three in hiding on the other team will get invincibility. So, you get a half hour to hide while we all just kinda stare at the wall," explained Latias.

"You guys have psychic powers, isn't that kind of unfair?" asked Mudkip.

"We're not going to use our psychic powers," said Latias firmly. "We don't want the challenge to end that quickly. Oh, but you guys have to stay on the island. You can go in the water, but don't go so high in the air that we can't find you for all you Flying-types. Oh, and if the challenge takes longer than nine hours, all Pokemon remaining in hiding will get invincibility, and the team with more Pokemon still remaining in hiding will get invincibility."

"I'll go find some interns," said Latios. He returned with Raichu and Lucario from the dodgeball challenge as well as a Dustox and a Rhyperior.

"Hey, guys," greeted Raichu. "Nice to be here!"

"I've never met the campers before," said the Dustox calmly. He looked very calm and easygoing.

"You guys better be ready to get wrecked!" grunted Rhyperior, smiling meanly. Several of the campers frowned; she reminded them of Garchomp.

"Yeah, I always sucked at hiding but I was pretty good at seeking," admitted Lucario.

"All right, interns! Stare at the wall with us!" said Latias.

Rhyperior groaned. "This is boring."

"It is, but the competitors need to hide," said Latias. "Just do it."

Rhyperior just grunted and turned to face the wall. Meanwhile, Raichu looked at her watch. "You have a half hour to hide starting…now!"

The campers all split up in different directions to find hiding places.

"Oh, yeah, no hiding by turning invisible or any similar nonsense!" Latias called. "Haunter, that means you!"

The Ghost-type sighed and floated away.

 **-static-**

 **"She caught me…that was what I was going to do," admitted Haunter. "Guilty as charged."**

 **-static-**

Crawdaunt hopped into the lake. "Aye, this be a good spot for hidin'."

Vaporeon walked over near him. "Mind if I hide here too?"

Crawdaunt shook his head. "Naw, we're on the same team, lass. Now ye just pray we don't get caught."

"I'll do that," said Vaporeon, nodding. "I've got a good feeling about this spot, though."

 **-static-**

Cacnea walked out into the forest, laying down next to some bushes. "I'm green, bushes are green. If this doesn't work, I don't know what will."

 **-static-**

Spiritomb withdrew inside his rock and hid near the cabins. "Nobody will suspect me of being an innocent rock…right?" he asked to no one in particular. "Hey, why am I talking to myself?"

 **-static-**

Numel smirked and walked into the confessional. "This will do nicely."

 **-static-**

Kingdra made her way to the dock where the campers leave and hid underneath it. "They'll never suspect," she murmured, grinning.

 **-static-**

Togetic flew to the chimney in her cabin. "Ew…gross," she muttered, squeezing herself in.

Pidove and Woobat saw her strategy as they were looking for a hiding spot. "Let's hide in a chimney, Woobat!" suggested Pidove.

Woobat shrugged. "Lead the way!"

 **-static-**

Graveler worked his way over to the mountain, where he attempted to blend in with some boulders. Meanwhile, Glaceon worked her way up to the top of the mountain, where she covered herself in a light frosting of snow which would hopefully hide her from vision. Cherubi sat behind a large boulder.

 **-static-**

Snorlax walked over to the cafeteria, looking defeated. "There aren't really any good hiding places in here…but I'm so hungry."

He opened up the refrigerator and found Weavile hidden inside.

"Um…" said Snorlax, surprised.

"I won't tell if you don't," promised Weavile.

Snorlax nodded and shut the door, hiding under a table.

Shroomish walked into the kitchen, looking for a hiding spot. Then he walked out when he saw that all the possible hiding spots were taken.

 **-static-**

Aipom, Mudkip, and Scraggy all hid under beds in the Reshirams' boys' cabin.

"Are you really sure this is a good idea, Scraggy?" asked Mudkip.

"Yeah, I'm not feeling it," Aipom admitted.

"Relax, guys, it'll be fine," Scraggy assured them. "I've been hide-and-seeking for years!"

- **static-**

Jumpluff, who had given up on looking for Weavile so she could hide, decided to hide in a tree. Unfortunately, Snivy and Munna were already hiding there…and they looked ready to murder each other if either one screwed up the challenge.

 **-static-**

Drapion, being a bigger Pokemon, had a harder time finding a hiding place. She hid under a boat in the supply closet. She did not even notice Mothim hiding behind a poster on the back wall, or Patrat hiding behind the lawnmower, or Marowak laying under a large rope.

 **-static-**

Haunter looked for a spot in a tree in the forest. Suddenly, he heard a voice above him.

"Hey, handsome."

Misdreavus swooped down, grinning slyly. "Wanna hide with me?"

"I'd like that," said Haunter, grinning.

Slowking walked by. "You two should really start dating, I think you're annoying all of us with the constant flirting," he said, without looking at either of them.

Haunter frowned. "We should go hide."

"Right," said Misdreavus. They floated up into the tree. Slowking walked on for a few minutes before hiding behind a large boulder near the mountainside.

 **-static-**

Happiny walked into the medical building. Chikorita, the intern who had helped Aipom when he was injured, was there.

"I'm gonna hide in here; don't tell the others," said Happiny seriously. Chikorita rolled her eyes and nodded.

Happiny looked for some hiding places until she found one; a nice spot under the sink. She opened the cabinet door and prepared to get in.

"Hi, Happiny!" greeted a happy voice. She saw Wynaut's smiling face under the sink. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for a hiding place," she said, disappointed.

"Oh…well, there's always the bathroom!" he suggested cheerfully. Happiny sighed and nodded.

 **-static-**

Oshawott walked down to the beach. "Hmm, time to bury myself in sand!" he declared. Slowly, he started covering himself in a thin layer of sand, leaving only part of his face and his scalchop exposed. He did it near the water so it would be harder to see him, since he knew he could breathe underwater anyway. He didn't even notice Buizel, who had hidden in a boat.

 **-static-**

Plusle, Minun, and Pachirisu all crouched inside of a supply closet. It was very small, so they were all crowded together.

"You know, we really should have come up with a better idea," remarked Minun.

 **-static-**

"This seems really unsafe," muttered Tepig as he crawled into the oven, taking out the shelves and putting them somewhere else.

"At least you're a Fire-type!" Mime Jr. responded. She was sitting above him, in the microwave.

 **-static-**

Bidoof hid under the covers in her bed. "They'll never find me here!" she giggled.

 **-static-**

"Do we really have to show all these montages of competitors hiding?" muttered Gligar.

"Hey, the hosts said no fourth wall breaking when we signed up for the show!" said Kirlia, next to her. The two of them had hidden around the garden. Kirlia attempted to blend in with the flowers, while Gligar hid in a tree above the garden because she was a bigger Pokemon.

"Technically, by saying that, you did it too," responded Gligar, smirking.

"I saw nothing if you didn't," Kirlia responded quickly.

Gligar grinned and flew up to her tree. Neither of the two girls was aware that one of the bushes around the garden was actually Cloyster, spray-painted green.

 **-static-**

"Aw, man, where can I hide?" asked Shroomish desperately. He attempted to hide by a tree, but was spooked when Carnivine dropped down from a branch.

"THIS SPOT'S MINE, KIDDO!" he shouted. Shroomish nodded and backed away.

"And the search continues," he decided, looking for more spots.

 **-static-**

Deerling, Jigglypuff, and Minccino all hid in a shower in the girls' bathroom. "This seems like a bad idea," said Deerling.

"We'll be fine!" Jigglypuff said, but she didn't sound very convinced.

Wooper heard the conversation from the boys' bathroom and decided not to say anything. He was hidden in one of the stalls with the doors shut.

 **-static-**

Kricketune and Ludicolo buried themselves under a pile of leaves in the woods.

"Do you think this'll work, mon?" asked Ludicolo unsurely.

"Yes, assuming they don't step on us," Kricketune replied.

Glameow dropped out of the tree she was hiding in and decided to look for a better one. She thought she heard a grunt from the pile of leaves underneath her, but that had to have been her imagination…

 **-static-**

Pidgeot and Swellow hid underneath the bleachers in the gymnasium, while Meditite hid behind one of the weightlifting machines. Absol, being even more clever, used a ladder to climb onto the roof and then pulled it up behind him, hiding under some of the construction on the roof.

 **-static-**

Jolteon hid in the hosts' cabin. Shroomish peeked his head around.

"Aw, is this occupied?" he asked sadly.

Jolteon shrugged. "Yeah, sorry."

Shroomish sighed and walked away, looking for another hiding spot.

 **-static-**

Shellos sighed and placed an empty bag in the Zekroms' girls' cabin over her entire body and slid by someone else's stuff. "This is humiliating," she said to herself.

Meanwhile, in the Reshirams' boys' cabin, Meowth sighed as he clung onto the ceiling fan. "Why did I do this?" he asked himself.

 **-static-**

Rampardos and Scizor made their way to the interns' cabin.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Rampardos.

"Yeah, I think it'll work," said Scizor. "They seem pretty reasonable."

Scizor opened the door to the interns' cabin. Immediately, voices came to greet them.

"Wow, there are some campers!" said a Porygon2, looking excited.

"I've never met one before!" said a Cleffa, bouncing up and down.

"Nice to meet you guys," greeted a Sharpedo.

"Can you guys hide us?" asked Rampardos.

"Sure!" responded most of the interns, leading them back into the cabin. Scizor and Rampardos shrugged, looking at each other, and did as they were told.

 **-static-**

Flareon hid in the fireplace for one of the cabins. "This is probably gonna go miserably wrong," he muttered.

 **-static-**

Smeargle smiled as she finished painting herself to look like a brick wall. "And…done!" she declared, resting up against a real brick wall. "This should fool them for a while."

 **-static-**

Hoothoot flew on top of one of the cabins and pretended to be a gargoyle. "You know, this hasn't been one of my better ideas," she remarked to herself.

 **-static-**

Azumarill finally rested near a rock, far away from camp. "The further away I am, the better," she reasoned. "I don't even need a good hiding spot at this distance!"

"Oh, you too?" asked Luxray, grinning from behind her.

"What are you doing here?" Azumarill demanded.

"I had the same idea as you did," Luxray explained.

Azumarill huffed and walked further. Luxray shrugged and settled down again.

 **-static-**

"No, this isn't going to work either, it's too obvious," said Wormadam, eyeing a tree. Skitty sighed and whipped around.

"Wormadam," she said. "I've had enough. I want to play this game the way I want to play it. Go find your own hiding spot."

"Remember our little deal, though?" asked Wormadam sweetly.

Skitty smiled. "Yes, I do. Thanks for the reminder."

Then she leaned in closer. "I don't care. Go find your own spot. I've had enough. Don't expect to be able to use or manipulate me any longer. Don't even try to talk to me. I'm DONE with you. Whatever happens to you in this game from now on, that's on you."

"Skitty!" Wormadam protested. "You're not allowed to leave! We had a deal, remember? SKITTY!"

Skitty walked off, hiding in a tree by one of the cabins. Wormadam groaned and behind a small branch, knowing the time for hiding was almost up.

 **-static-**

Shroomish ran around, panicking. "Where can I hide? Where can I hide?"

He found himself right near the entrance of camp. Unfortunately, just as he was about to walk away, Latias said, "Ready or not, here we come!"

The hosts and interns turned around.

"Okay, Shroomish, really?" asked Latios. "You're, like, one of the first things I saw when I turned around. Did you even try to hide?"

"Yeah, but all the good spots were taken," said Shroomish sadly.

"What about in the trees?" asked Dustox, who didn't seem annoyed, but instead sympathetic.

"I don't have arms," Shroomish commented.

"Fair enough," Dustox responded. Then he turned to the hosts. "What do we do with them when we find them?"

"Tell them to wait here," said Latias. "We're gathering everyone here. Shroomish, try to keep a head count or something so we'll know when we're done."

"In that case…one," said Shroomish as the hosts and interns dispersed to look for the other competitors.

 **-static-**

Latios floated through the woods. "Probably some campers out here," he muttered. He stopped when he saw Wormadam, who was barely hidden.

"Okay, really?" he said, showing some annoyance. "Did you even try? You're the second camper we've found and your hiding spots were both awful at best!"

"I was going to hide up there with Skitty, but she wouldn't let me!" complained Wormadam, gesturing to the tree where Skitty was hidden.

Latios's eyes narrowed and he grinned. "Thanks." He knocked into the tree, and Skitty fell out.

"Wormadam, what did you reveal my hiding spot for?" asked Skitty.

"Oh, no reason," Wormadam assured sarcastically in her usual sweet voice.

In a nearby tree, Haunter and Misdreavus looked at each other. Wormadam revealed the hiding spot of her own teammate? That was definitely a problem.

 **-static-**

 **"I can't believe Wormadam revealed my hiding spot!" exclaimed Skitty. "Ugh! I can't wait to vote her out!"**

 **"Oh Arceus, I'm beginning to sound like her," said Skitty worriedly. "I'm sorry, everyone!"**

 **-static-**

 **"I may have gone down, but I took down Skitty with me," said Wormadam menacingly. "I know who I'll be voting for at tonight's ceremony."**

 **-static-**

Meanwhile, Lucario walked into the Reshirams' girls' cabin. "Bidoof, is that you under the bed?"

"No!" her voice called back, giggling.

Lucario sighed and pulled up the covers. Sure enough…it wasn't actually Bidoof. Just a pillow.

"Where are you?" he asked. He heard another giggle. He checked on the floor next to the bed, and under the bed. No such luck.

"Seriously?" he asked, confused. Bidoof continued giggling. She knew asking Carnivine to make a secret compartment inside her bed would have a use someday!

 **-static-**

"Hey, Chikorita," greeted Raichu, walking into the medical building. The nurse smiled and nodded. Raichu looked around before checking the bathroom. Happiny was, quite obviously, hiding next to the toilet.

"Um, Happiny, you're found," said Raichu.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious," muttered the pink Pokemon, walking out of the building. Happiny had known her hiding place was bad, but hadn't had time to do anything about it.

After a few more minutes of searching, Raichu had also discovered Wynaut under the sink. Deciding it was time to move on, she continued.

 **-static-**

"Kirlia, I found you," muttered Rhyperior when she got to the garden. "And there's Gligar," she added, seeing a bit of pink coming through the tree. Both girls seemed disappointed, but not surprised, to be found.

"Come on, let's go back to camp," said Gligar quietly as they both walked. The green spray-painted Cloyster grinned—Rhyperior had missed him. She lumbered on into the woods.

 **-static-**

"Hoothoot, found you," called Dustox up to Hoothoot.

"At least I'm not first," muttered the owl.

Dustox nodded in agreement. "That was a pretty bad hiding spot."

"Hey, I tried! I was being a gargoyle!" said Hoothoot defensively, though she agreed with him.

"Hide like this," said Dustox. Then he literally vanished.

"W-where are you? How did you do that?" asked Hoothoot, freaked out.

"Because I'm a ninja," came Dustox's voice from behind her. She turned around, but he was gone.

"I need a nap," Hoothoot said to herself as she walked back to camp.

 **-static-**

"Jolteon, you've been found!" announced Latias, who had gone into the hosts' cabin.

"Aw, man, I thought you guys might not check here," he said dejectedly.

"Nice try," said Latias. "Now get to the center of camp."

"All right," he responded before continuing walking. "Whatever you say."

 **-static-**

 **Jolteon rolled his eyes. "There went my great plan."**

 **"Can you leave now?" asked Numel, who had been next to him the whole time.**

 **"Yeah, sorry," said Jolteon.**

 **Latios's face appeared outside the confessional. "Numel, you're out too."**

 **"Bummer," the camel drawled.**

 **-static-**

Rhyperior finally reached the mountains, her second destination.

"Slowking, that was pitifully obvious, get out," she said. Slowking stared at her hatefully as he walked back toward camp.

She began ascending the mountain. About a quarter of the way up, a red splotch caught her eye. "Cherubi, you're out too!" she called.

"Dang you," Cherubi muttered. She threw a small bomb at Rhyperior before walking down the mountainside; luckily, it only hurt a little.

"Weirdoes," Rhyperior grunted. She felt a boulder shift beneath her. "Oh, Graveler, you're out too."

"Aw, man, I thought that was good," the Rock-type complained.

"Sorry," she responded, shrugging. She continued climbing toward the mountaintop.

Finally, she got to the section where it began snowing (which was not a large section, but still). She noticed an unusually shaped path. She walked up to it and poked it.

"Glaceon, that must be you," said Rhyperior. Glaceon poked her head out from under the snow.

"You got me," she admitted. "I'd hoped to last longer."

"You didn't, now get down the mountainside," Rhyperior grunted indifferently. Glaceon shrugged and walked down back towards camp. Rhyperior continued checking the mountainside but found no more campers.

 **-static-**

"I have no idea where you are, Bidoof, but I'll be back," said Lucario, aggravated. He kept hearing more of Bidoof's giggles but could never identify where they were actually coming from.

He decided to take the bathroom. He walked over to the guys' side and began kicking open stalls.

"Aha! I got you, Wooper!" he announced as the little blue Water-type was found inside the stall.

"Okay!" he agreed. "I guess I'll head back to the center of camp now."

"And so will I," said Lucario.

Wooper frowned. "Have you checked the other side of the bathroom?"

"No! That's the girls' side!" said Lucario, shocked.

Wooper stared at him.

"Someone might be doing their business over there!" he added.

Wooper frowned.

 **-static-**

 **"He can't go to the girls' side of the bathroom, but he can kick open stalls when I might have been doing my business?" asked Wooper. "What is the world coming to?"**

 **-static-**

"Fine, I'll go," said Lucario, looking annoyed.

He peeked in every stall, but no luck. Then, in the shower, he found Deerling, Jigglypuff, and Minccino.

"You guys couldn't have spread out more?" he asked.

"That…might not have been a bad idea," Deerling agreed.

Lucario sighed and left the bathroom, leaving the three girls to go back to the center of camp with Wooper.

 **-static-**

Latias floated into the cafeteria. "Really, Snorlax, you hid under a table?"

"I can't fit anywhere," Snorlax pointed out. "What was I going to do?"

"Try harder!" commanded Latias. Snorlax rolled his eyes and walked out of the cafeteria.

After more checking, Latias found no one anywhere. She was about to leave when she heard a slamming noise. Turning around, it was revealed to be Mime Jr.

"Where were you?" asked Latias, shocked.

"Microwave," Mime Jr. responded shyly. "I got cramped in there, a little claustrophobic. Had to let myself out."

Latias's eyes narrowed. She hovered over the microwave before looking down and opening the oven. Tepig jumped out.

"How did I know?" she muttered.

"I tried," he responded.

Latias took the three of them back to camp. She had never checked the refrigerator, where Weavile was still hiding at that moment.

 **-static-**

Dustox fluttered into the Zekroms' girls' cabin.

"Where could they be in here?" he muttered. He checked under the beds, in the closets, and all over the place. He pushed aside some stuff. Finally, he lifted a small bag off the floor, which contained Shellos inside.

"You've been found," he informed her kindly.

"Thanks," she responded, smiling a little. "I'll head out, then."

"All right," Dustox responded. He closed his eyes for a second. "I think I'll be going to the Reshirams' boys' cabin."

"Why?" asked Shellos curiously.

"Just a feeling."

 **-static-**

Raichu wandered into the woods. "Hmm…I guess I should check in some trees," she decided. She wandered up to a tree and nudged it. No luck. She peeked up and saw no Pokemon in it.

"I'll just have to wander around until I see some Pokemon in a tree," she decided.

Snivy and Munna glared at each other from the tree they were in, Jumpluff sitting a few branches below them serenely.

"She's gonna find us," whispered Munna frantically.

"Right. Stay calm and shut up," Snivy responded.

"We need to distract her or something. She's looking in all the trees," Munna repeated.

Snivy smirked. "So distract her." Then she pushed Munna out of the tree.

Raichu turned around to see Munna floating there.

"Hi," said the flowered Pokemon awkwardly. Raichu stared at her and she walked back to camp. Then, Raichu decided to peek up the tree. "Snivy, Jumpluff, I found you guys too. You're out."

"Well, it was worth a shot," said Snivy, walking back to camp.

 **-static-**

Dustox found himself in the Reshirams' boys' cabin. His eyes were immediately directed up to the ceiling, where Meowth seemed to be engaged in combat for his life with the ceiling fan.

"I think it's going to break and I'm going to die!" Meowth panicked.

"Dude, the ceiling fan isn't even on," said Dustox, stating the obvious. "You'll fall like 8 feet, it won't be that painful."

"Easy for you to say!" Meowth retorted.

Dustox sighed and used Psychic to remove Meowth from the ceiling fan. "You've been found, anyway," he said quietly. Meowth sighed and walked over to the center of camp.

Dustox continued prowling around, then peeked under a bed. "Aipom, you've been found too."

"Aw, man," said Aipom, looking disappointed. "I thought this was gonna be better."

Eventually, Dustox continued looking under beds, finding Scraggy, then Mudkip.

"Scraggy, I thought you said this was going to be a good spot!" said Mudkip, looking clearly disappointed.

"I thought it was," said Scraggy. Then he shrugged. "We didn't do that bad, maybe our team will still win. Let's just head out of here."

The three friends walked for the center of camp while Dustox finished checking over the Reshirams' boys' cabin.

 **-static-**

Rhyperior continued her way down the mountain. She walked through the woods, pushing through trees and bushes.

"Ow!" came a noise from below her. She looked down at her feet. It was Cacnea.

"Cacnea, you've been found too," she grunted, looking pleasantly surprised. "What were you doing down there?"

"I was pretending to be a bush until you showed up and kicked me," Cacnea responded, sounding annoyed.

"You've been found now. Head back to camp," Rhyperior told him.

"Thanks," said Cacnea, rolling his eyes and preparing to walk back. "That hiding spot was good for nothing. Should have known."

 **-static-**

Latios soared above the island, wondering if any campers had taken extra precautions and moved a lot further from camp. Suddenly, he saw two shapes—a roundish blue and white one, and a four-legged black and blue one. Grinning, he swooped down above the blue and white one.

"Azumarill," he said. She turned around to see Latios hovering behind her.

"How did you find me here?" she demanded.

He pointed upwards. "Aerial views are quite convenient sometimes," he said in a simple tone.

Azumarill sighed and started walking back to camp. Latios, meanwhile, continued on.

"Hey, Luxray," he greeted, popping up behind the lion. Luxray turned around in surprise, before finding Latios.

"I suppose I'm found," Luxray said, stating the obvious.

"Yeah, you kinda are," Latios agreed. "Head back to camp now."

"Will do," said Luxray, nodding. He walked back towards camp, looking a little disappointed that he had been discovered.

 **-static-**

"Oh campers, where are you?" called Latias. She was floating around on the beach. Suddenly, she saw an odd shape in the sand. Using Psychic, she lifted it out, revealing that the odd shape was, in fact, Oshawott.

"You've been found, Oshawott," said Latias in a melodic voice—she liked this challenge.

"Aw, man! I thought I had a good spot!" Oshawott responded. Latias let go of her Psychic grip on him and he walked back to camp.

Meanwhile, Latias continued searching, eventually coming across the boat where Buizel was hiding. "Okay, Buizel, I guess you're out too!" Buizel nodded and walked back to camp.

Latias was almost done searching on the beach, when she noticed an odd coloration under the dock.

"Kingdra, you're out too," she declared, without even going over to see her. Kingdra held in her frustration at being discovered and went back to camp with the other two Water-types.

 **-static-**

Raichu walked into the interns' cabin, wanting to find something from her bag.

"Excuse me, Sharpedo," she said, scooting past the Sharpedo intern, who winked at her and got out of her way good-naturedly.

"Raichu, have you seen Porygon2?" asked a female Ponyta intern. "I haven't seen him lately."

"Not really, Ponyta, but I'm in a challenge, so I have to hurry," Raichu responded. Suddenly, she saw Rampardos and Scizor, hanging out with Zorua, a lazy intern.

"So, yeah, that's the story of how I got here," said Zorua, stretching out on her bed. Rampardos looked like he was about to respond before he saw Raichu standing there, looking surprised.

"Uh, Rampardos, Scizor, you're both out, I guess," said Raichu.

Scizor sighed. "We should have known this spot wasn't going to work forever." Rampardos nodded and the two of them left. Raichu got her item from her bag (it was actually some makeup) and gave Zorua a glare, telling her to get back to work. Then she left, looking for more campers.

 **-static-**

 **"She didn't have to be so rude about it, gosh," said Zorua, rolling her eyes.**

 **-static-**

Lucario walked around a cabin, checking everywhere. Finally, he opened a closet, and Plusle, Minun, and Pachirisu were in there.

"THANK ARCEUS, I WAS GETTING CLAUSTROPHOBIC!" Pachirisu practically shouted.

"It's more kind of that you can't stop moving and you didn't have the room to move in there," Plusle pointed out.

"SAME DIFFERENCE."

"So, we're found now?" Minun asked Lucario.

He rolled his eyes. "What do you think?"

The three Electric-types wandered back to the center of camp.

 **-static-**

"When I signed up for this, they should have told me we had to search for a full nine hours," Rhyperior grumbled. The challenge had already gone on for about four hours, and there were still quite a few campers who hadn't been found.

She walked through the woods, looking in trees and on the ground, and not finding anyone…that is, until she came upon a large pile of leaves. She kicked it, and two grunts could be heard from underneath it.

Clearing away some leaves, she saw that it was Kricketune and Ludicolo.

"Hello, boys. You're out," she told them. They sighed and walked back to camp.

As she walked further out, she saw a discoloration in a tree. "Glameow, you're out too."

"Oh, okay," she said. She walked back to camp without any real protest.

 **-static-**

Latios heard a strange noise from a tree behind him. It sounded like a giggle. Turning around, he floated up to it and looked up the tree—it was Haunter and Misdreavus. Misdreavus looked a bit ashamed that she had given away their spot.

"Sorry," she apologized to Haunter. He shrugged.

"It's really my fault for making you laugh."

"I don't care whose fault it is, get back to camp," Latios ordered. The two ghosts did as they were told.

 **-static-**

Dustox made his way to the gym; he had just found Smeargle's hiding place against the brick wall. It was clever, but from certain angles, she stuck out a lot. He hadn't had a hard time finding her.

In the gym, he looked around for a bit before deciding to start looking on the upper floor. Once he did, he quickly found Meditite behind a weightlifting machine. After completing a more thorough search, he decided there probably wasn't anyone else up there.

On the bottom floor, Dustox began searching in the locker rooms, with no luck. Then he made his way to the pool-still no luck. Finally, he went to look under the bleachers, and sure enough, he found Pidgeot and Swellow under there, kissing.

"Don't say anything about this," Pidgeot warned.

Dustox smiled gently. "Your secret is safe with me, man."

Pidgeot smiled gratefully at him and went back to camp with Swellow.

 **-static-**

Latias sighed as she looked in the lake. "Nice try, guys, but Crawdaunt, you're red, and Vaporeon, you're hiding right next to him."

Crawdaunt surfaced, looking defiant. "Me options are limited!" he responded forcefully.

Vaporeon rolled her eyes but smiled. "Come on, let's get back to camp." Crawdaunt nodded and followed her.

Latias checked the time. There was only one hour left. Not many more campers would be found after this.

 **-static-**

Raichu walked towards the supply closet, which held most of the camp's spare supplies. At this point, she wasn't really expecting to find anyone, but she figured she should still try.

When she got in, a large boat immediately looked suspicious to her. She walked over to it, lifting it up, and found Drapion under there.

"It's hard to find a hiding spot when you're this big," she said in a challenging tone. Raichu nodded and pointed her out the door.

"Anyone else in here?" she asked, knowing no one would answer. Then, she noticed a small brown movement behind the lawnmower. Walking over, she discovered that it was Patrat.

"Aw, I'm found?" he asked. "So close."

"Well, you can go back to camp," said Raichu, pointing him in the same direction as Drapion."

She continued searching. Eventually, by lifting up a large rope, she was able to see Marowak, who accepted his discovery with dignity, walking back to camp. She did not notice Mothim in the back behind the poster either; he had his body pressed pretty flat against the wall.

 **-static-**

 **"Hey man, I may not be a fighter, but I can be a hider," said Mothim, smiling lazily.**

 **-static-**

Right as Rhyperior was walking back to camp, knowing there wasn't much time left, she saw something odd. She went over for closer inspection, looking at an odd-shaped plant that didn't seem to fit in. She couldn't tell what, but she knew something was off about it.

Suddenly, she looked at the top part of the plant and knew what it was.

"Carnivine, you're out," she said, noticing the plant's unusual "mouth." Sure enough, Carnivine's eyes opened and he responded to Rhyperior's statements.

"NO! IT CANNOT BE!" he said in mock defeat.

"Yes, it can," said Rhyperior, folding her arms.

Carnivine huffed. "Fine," he said, walking back to camp.

 **-static-**

There wasn't much time left, so Lucario decided to use his remaining time to attempt to look for Bidoof. So far, these attempts had proven inconclusive.

"Where the heck is she?" he asked in frustration. He had checked every single part of the room, but still couldn't place Bidoof's giggles, which seemed to be coming right from in the bed.

Suddenly, the sound of the intercom blared through camp. "CAMPERS, THIS IS LATIAS! TIME'S UP, SO REPORT TO THE CENTER OF CAMP!" she announced. "THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE STILL HIDING WILL GET IMMUNITY!"

Lucario had turned around to listen to the announcement better. When he turned back around, Bidoof was sitting on the bed.

"What—how—what—" he said incomprehensibly. Bidoof just giggled some more.

"The world may never know!" she shouted mischievously before walking to the center of camp.

 **-static-**

Bidoof was the first to arrive at the center of camp for counting. She was followed by Pidove and Woobat, also Reshirams, who looked thrilled that their idea of hiding in a chimney (which they had stolen from Togetic, but still) had worked. They were followed by Togetic herself, as well as Flareon, who had hidden in the fireplace. Flareon looked even more shocked that his spot had worked. The two Zekroms looked disappointed when the next Pokemon to show up was Mothim, another Reshiram, who was smiling widely that his spot hadn't been discovered.

Following Mothim was Absol, who had come off the roof of the gym, adding a fifth point to the total of the Reshirams' score. Weavile came, having left the refrigerator and still visibly shaking, making a third point for the Zekroms, who looked hopeful. After that, Cloyster added a sixth point to the Reshirams' total. He was still spray-painted green from his disguise as a bush.

No Pokemon had come for about a minute. Latios finally asked, "Is that everyone?"

"Nope!" came a male voice. Everyone looked around to find out where the voice had come from, but it sounded like it had come from a small rock on the ground. Then, suddenly, a strange purple shape emerged from the rock…eventually forming Spiritomb. "I think I'm the last one."

"Spiritomb. That. Was. Brilliant," said Latias, incredulous.

"I try," grinned the ghost.

Latios did a quick count, but the answer was clear. "Reshirams, you guys have seven points. Zekroms, you've only got three. You'll be at the elimination ceremony tonight. However, Flareon, Togetic, and Weavile all have invincibility!" The three safe Pokemon looked happy, while everyone else looked worried. The Zekroms all began to walk to the campsite.

 **-static-**

 **"Wormadam," said Skitty, with determination in her eyes.**

 **-static-**

 **"I'll help Skitty get rid of Wormadam. She's terrible," said Flareon, looking similarly determined.**

 **-static-**

 **"We're helping vote out Wormadam too," said Jigglypuff. "It's time for her to go."**

 **-static-**

 **"I've talked to some people, and they might try to help me eliminate Skitty!" said Wormadam happily.**

 **-static-**

 **"Wormadam honestly thinks we'd vote for Skitty over her? Yeah, right," said Cacnea, rolling his eyes.**

 **-static-**

 **"Jumpluff, obviously," Weavile said clearly.**

 **-static-**

 **"So, apparently, the person who gets the most votes actually gets sent home! They don't win!" cried Jumpluff as if this was a huge revelation. "I thought voting for Weavile was a good choice, but I guess not."**

 **"I'll vote for Shroomish, since he was the first one gone in today's challenge," decided Jumpluff.**

 **-static-**

 **"I hope they don't vote me out!" Shroomish exclaimed frantically. "I'll vote for Skitty, I guess…Wormadam told me to, and any vote not for me is a good vote."**

 **-static-**

 **"Snivy," Munna repeated for what seemed like the thousandth time.**

 **-static-**

 **"Munna, but why do I even bother saying it anymore, it's obvious," said Snivy with a roll of her eyes. "You all know the drill by now."**

 **-static-**

 **Slowking smirked. "Skitty. Let's see what happens."**

 **-static-**

"All right, Zekroms!" announced Latias. "When I call your name, come get your Poffin. First up, Flareon, Weavile, and Togetic, for having invincibility."

The three invincible Pokemon looked satisfied at having been called, but looked back with worry at many of their friends. Flareon in particular looked worried.

"Also safe," continued Latias. "Rampardos, Deerling, Minccino, and Buizel!" The next four all looked happy to receive their Poffins. Minccino and Buizel shared a smile as they went up.

"And Kirlia, Scizor, Shellos, and Graveler," continued Latios. Shellos smiled gratefully when she got hers, while Graveler grunted.

"Drapion, Minun, Jigglypuff," continued Latias. Drapion grinned as she got hers, while Minun glanced at Plusle with worry.

"Plusle, Wooper, Snorlax, and Gligar," Latios read. The next four safe Pokemon all went up to get theirs, with Wooper smiling widely at Shellos and both Minun and Plusle looking much happier.

"Haunter, Pachirisu, Swellow," Latias added. The next three all claimed their Poffins.

And finally, four more of you got no votes," Latios finished.

"Cacnea…" The cactus didn't look surprised to see his name called. He didn't smile, but he looked a little happier at hearing his name.

"Slowking…" He accepted his with a smug grin.

"Hoothoot…" The owl Pokemon just seemed glad her team hadn't chosen to vote her out for her bad hiding spot.

"And Misdreavus," called Latios. Misdreavus's face visibly relaxed at hearing her name; she had been worried that the team would be upset that her laugh had given away her hiding spot.

At this point, Snivy, Munna, Skitty, Wormadam, Jumpluff, and Shroomish remained. Latias rolled her eyes.

"Snivy, Munna, you guys know you aren't going home today," she said, tossing the two rivals Poffins. They glared at each other but ultimately didn't protest.

"Jumpluff, you're also safe," said Latias. The cotton puff looked happy and beamed at Weavile, who groaned.

"Shroomish, Wormadam, and Skitty. You're the final three, and only one of you will be staying," said Latios dramatically. "Shroomish, you were found first on the team." Shroomish hung his head at this. "Wormadam, you've made Skitty hate you and you gave away her hiding spot." Wormadam looked defiant and stared Latios down. "Skitty, you betrayed Wormadam for your independence and caused her to hate you." Skitty blushed but didn't say anything.

Latias smiled at the evident tension.

"The final Poffin…"

"Of the night…"

"Goes to…"

A long silence followed.

"Skitty."

The pink cat breathed a sigh of relief and ran up to claim her marshmallow. Shroomish looked ashamed, while Wormadam looked furious.

"WHAT? You voted me out over HER?" shouted Wormadam.

Latios grinned sarcastically at her. "Tsk tsk. Be grateful for what you have."

Wormadam screamed and walked over to the confessional. Shroomish lingered a little longer, waiting to talk to Wooper and Shellos.

The two Water-types approached him, looking sad. Shroomish began talking. "Look, I just wanted to tell you guys…thanks for hanging out with me on the island. I don't make friends easily, and you two didn't care. You hung out with me a lot anyway, and I really appreciate that. You guys are the best friends I've ever had."

"Aw, Shroomish," said Shellos, looking sympathetic.

"Shroomish, I wish you didn't have to go!" exclaimed Wooper, having some tears in his eyes.

Shroomish gave a small smile. "I'll be okay, you guys. Keep on going!"

"Thanks, friend!" said Wooper, grinning. Shroomish grinned back, then went over for his final confessional.

 **-static-**

 **"This is so stupid!" Wormadam seethed. "Skitty was supposed to get me far in the game! I was just going to use her, then dump her off when she outlived her usefulness. But no, she has to go and STAND UP for herself! This is just ridiculous! I only lasted five episodes. I knew I'd have to work hard to win, but FIVE EPISODES? UGH!"**

 **"I really don't care who wins. I hate them all. Get me off this idiotic island, I can't handle these losers anymore."**

 **-static-**

 **"Well, I hoped I'd last longer, but I knew I wasn't a strong competitor," admitted Shroomish. "But I'm still a bit sad to go…Wooper and Shellos were great friends. I guess bad luck sometimes can get you out. Still, I don't think I had any enemies. And I didn't get too bothered by psychos lately! So maybe I'm recovering from that problem."**

 **"I'd love it if Wooper or Shellos won. They're great people. But honestly, most people on the island are very nice. I'm glad I had the experience."**

 **"I guess that's all for now," finished Shroomish. "I wish I could've lasted longer. Maybe some other time, right? See you all later! Good luck!"**

 **-static-**

Shroomish and Wormadam were taken to the dock, where the boats waited for them. Many Pokemon waved goodbye to Shroomish, who didn't seem too upset to leave. Wormadam shot death glares at Skitty, who waved politely, smirking. The hosts escorted them to the boats.

"I can't wait to go home," Shroomish admitted.

"Oh, you're not going home," assured Latias.

"What?!" Shroomish yelped.

"Oh, no. You're going to…Total Loser Island! Our resort!" said Latias enthusiastically.

"Oh. Cool," said Shroomish.

"With the eliminated competitors," Latios added.

Shroomish's face turned terrified when he realized that Smoochum and Garchomp would be there. The hosts took this opportunity to tell the boat driver to leave, but Shroomish's cries of fear could still be heard on the island.

"What do you think is scaring him?" asked Wooper.

Shellos shrugged…well, tried, but it was hard with her lack of shoulders. "Who knows? Come on, let's get back to the cabins. It's late."

Slowly, all the other Pokemon returned to their cabins to sleep. The hosts turned to the cameras.

"Well, that's it for today!" said Latias optimistically. "Wormadam and Shroomish got the boot. What will happen next time? Find out on Total! Pokemon! Island!"

 **-static-**

That's it! We got rid of Wormadam and Shroomish this time. I don't know if the ending was suspenseful enough, but I tried. Skitty gets to live another day, but now she doesn't have Wormadam preventing her from doing anything. Shroomish leaves, but at least he's pretty cool about it.

Kingdra joins Marowak's alliance, Flareon and Skitty have some interest in each other, Wynaut makes a pretty awesome alliance...I like this chapter and a lot of the plot points revealed in this chapter will affect the story pretty dramatically in the future.

Cookies to you if you got the reference I stuck in this story. I tried really hard okay? XD

Bidoof hiding in the bed was awesome, and I liked Spiritomb too because he's just so cool. And spray-painted Cloyster was fun as well.

Yay for fun fact time!

Wormadam: Wormadam has an extreme superiority complex as well as some beliefs of her own invincibility. This is why she was so confident that using Skitty would work. She simply cannot accept that others may be better than her.

Shroomish: It's only subtly referenced, but Shroomish's problem is that he attracts insane people, so he has a tendency to get kissed by Smoochum, beat up more by Garchomp, bombed by Cherubi, and so on, more than other people. This has led to some cautious tendencies as well as some trust issues. He doesn't make friends easily and that's why he joined the show-to try at having a decent shot at making some friends.

I don't have a lot of plans for the next chapter but this is what I can promise:

Chapter preview: Campers search for something dangerous that could really turn the tides in favor of the most powerful and strategic players. Campers must use strategy to win the challenge or they will face...quite a lot of pain. One competitor's life finally becomes easier at the elimination of another, but to do this they may have go to extreme lengths. Alliances may be formed and clash, and romance will blossom, but how will these things last? Find out next time on Total Pokemon Island!

Team list:

Fiery Reshirams (34 members):

Absol, Aipom, Azumarill, Bidoof, Carnivine, Cherubi, Cloyster, Crawdaunt, Glaceon, Glameow, Happiny, Jolteon, Kingdra, Kricketune, Ludicolo, Luxray, Marowak, Meditite, Meowth, Mime Jr., Mothim, Mudkip, Numel, Oshawott, Patrat, Pidgeot, Pidove, Scraggy, Smeargle, Spiritomb, Tepig, Vaporeon, Woobat, Wynaut

Stormy Zekroms (29 members):

Buizel, Cacnea, Deerling, Drapion, Flareon, Gligar, Graveler, Haunter, Hoothoot, Jigglypuff, Jumpluff, Kirlia, Minccino, Minun, Misdreavus, Munna, Pachirisu, Plusle, Rampardos, Scizor, Shellos, Skitty, Slowking, Snivy, Snorlax, Swellow, Togetic, Weavile, Wooper

Those Zekroms are falling behind aren't they? This doesn't bode well for them...

That's all for today! I'd love it if you guys would leave comments or reviews and thanks for those of you who have stuck with the story! See ya!

Wormadam: Review, though it doesn't matter. I know I'm the favorite already.

Shroomish: Ugh, I wish they didn't make us do this, but please review. I think the other competitors would like it, it boosts their spirits! :D


	6. Search for the Red Gyarados!

Hey, guys! Victory Paradox here. Wow, it's been like 2 months since my last chapter, and I am really sorry about that. It's been weighing on my conscience a lot lately that I haven't been able to post in such a long time. It initially started with writers' block, which morphed into a lack of motivation. I also have had numerous events to go to (a wedding, several weekend vacations and loads of trips and other assorted days when I'm not home) combined with a period at the beginning of the month where I was struggling with some very deep personal problems that made things really hard for me, which I'm happy to say have more or less resolved themselves. I really have been trying to work on this, but it's just been really hard lately, and in addition, I came up with this challenge somewhat last minute with no real idea about how to write it or what I wanted to happen. Sorry about that! It's not my best chapter but I hope you'll enjoy it. Please review!

I've got several important announcements, most of which I'll make at the end of the chapter. But I'd like to announce this beforehand: I'll be posting a poll very soon on my account that I'd like you all to vote on! Basically, what it's going to be is a poll asking which characters you'd like to see more of. With a cast this large, it's hard to focus on everyone. I do intend everyone to have some kind of purpose in this story, but a lot of the time some characters get less spotlight due to time constraints. This will be your opportunity to help decide which characters deserve more of a spotlight. This poll should be up for a few months, which should be plenty of time for you to vote. So what are you waiting for? Go vote!

 **-static-**

Latias and Latios sat around their hosts' cabin, looking bored. Cranidos, an intern, was waiting next to them with a large platter of chocolates.

"Hey, could you bring us some smoothies?" Latias requested lazily. She and Latios had been enjoying their days off, and today would be the first challenge day in a while, so they had to be ready.

"Aye aye!" Cranidos said, attempting to salute, though his hands weren't long enough so it didn't really work and he had to bend down. "Um, what flavor?"

"Strawberry banana," said Latias, while Latios said, "Lemon." Cranidos wrote these down and walked out.

Latias looked at her brother with a strange look. "Is there even such a thing as a lemon smoothie?"

"There is!" Latios insisted. "They're really good."

"Are you sure?" asked Latias.

"…No," said Latios. Then he grinned. "I just kinda want to see what Cranidos does with it."

Latias grinned back. "Right."

Suddenly, the phone in their cabin rang. Latias drifted over to the phone and picked it up to answer. "Latias from Total Pokemon speaking. What can I help you with?"

Latios could only hear what Latias said, not what the person on the other end said, but it was pretty clear based on Latias's conversation with them.

"Oh, hi, Mr. Producer!" she said brightly when she recognized the voice. "Great to hear from you! How've you been?"

A slight pause. Then she continued. "Oh, really? What kind of reviews?" Another small pause. "They like it that much?"

There was a longer pause, with Latias nodding and saying "Okay," a few times. Then Latias spoke back up again. "So what's the thing they want us to change?"

Another long pause. Latias nodded towards the beginning and grinned more and more as the call went on. Finally, she said, "I understand, sir. I'll change the plans right away. I've got a good idea thought up right now, which I think you'll like. Yeah, no problem. Thanks for telling me. Bye."

Latias hung up and looked at her brother, who awaited her response eagerly. Finally, Latias gave him a huge grin. "They want more."

Latios looked confused. "More…what, exactly?"

"More everything," Latias continued. "More drama, more pain, harder challenges. We had to hold back before, but now we can go all-out."

Latios stared. Then he smiled. Then he grinned. Widely.

"Let's do it," he said. "Wait, did you say you had an idea for the challenge?"

"Yup," said Latias. "We're calling in Gary."

Latios laughed wickedly. "This is gonna be fun."

 **-static-**

Mudkip smiled happily, sitting on his bed with his trusty video camera. He had been so busy, he had almost forgotten to put on the miniature video camera that he had decided to wear during the competition. He had obtained live clips from a large majority of the time he had been on the competition, and he was now downloading them onto his laptop. Mudkip loved filmmaking, so he thought his time on the show would be a decent first attempt at something major. Maybe it would even pave the way to his making a real movie, with real actors.

Or not. But Mudkip was an optimist, so he usually just looked at the positives.

Scraggy and Aipom suddenly popped into the room—they had been hanging out with Ludicolo and Wynaut a few minutes ago. They'd invited Mudkip, but he wanted to stay in his room.

"Hey, Mudkip, what's up?" greeted Aipom with a large grin.

Mudkip grinned back. "I'm just moving my video clips off my camera." He paused. "I really want to make a movie…"

"Dude, that would be awesome!" Scraggy exclaimed. "Let's do it!"

Mudkip looked at Scraggy in shock. "What, a movie? Here?"

"Yeah, man!" Scraggy responded. "Let's do it! I'll help!"

Aipom nodded vigorously, a smile appearing on his face. "I like the sound of this! I could totally be your movie star," he joked. Mudkip snorted in response.

"You guys would really help me make a movie?" Mudkip asked, looking at them with serious eyes.

"Yeah…only we're gonna have to make it in a pretty short amount of time," Scraggy observed, frowning.

Mudkip looked confused. "Why's that?"

Scraggy looked at him seriously. "What's gonna happen if one of us goes and gets eliminated?"

A look of realization dawned on Mudkip's face. "Oh crap."

"Look, we can still work this out," Aipom assured him. "Work on the script and the little details for a few episodes, and we'll start it when you feel done. I mean, it's not gonna be a professional movie, not by a long shot, but it'll certainly be something."

Mudkip still didn't look happy. "Guys, I don't know…there's a lot that could go wrong…"

"You've still got a bit of time to work out the details," Scraggy reminded him gently. "I'm sure we can manage to not get eliminated before then, right?"

"You bet," said Aipom. "Say the word and we'll help, Mudkip."

Mudkip smiled at his two friends. "Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it. I'll see what I can do. I'm not promising anything, but maybe I really can film something while I'm here."

"You got it," said Aipom. "Now let's go get a snack, seriously, I'm starving."

"Aipom, we were just in the cafeteria," pointed out Scraggy.

Aipom frowned. "You don't control me." Then he grinned.

Scraggy rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's go." He started walking towards the door, followed by Aipom and Mudkip. Until he tripped on his pants.

"WHY DO I WEAR THESE?" Scraggy yelled.

"Move it, pants boy," said Aipom unkindly. Scraggy glared at him while Aipom and Mudkip smirked, then they walked out of the cabin to the cafeteria.

 **-static-**

 **"I can't believe I'm going to make a movie here!" Mudkip shouted, bursting with excitement. "I mean, I might. There are a lot of complications…"**

 **-static-**

 **"I hate wearing pants," Scraggy muttered.**

 **-static-**

 **"Mudkip's movie is gonna be so fun!" Aipom cheered.**

 **-static-**

Numel groaned, sitting lazily at a table in the cafeteria. He looked at Patrat, who was sitting close to him, and sighed before speaking. "Today's the challenge, isn't it?"

Patrat looked a bit startled before answering. "Yeah, I think so."

"Ugh…I hate challenges." Numel sighed and closed his eyes.

"Don't you hate most things?" asked Patrat.

Numel opened his eyes just to roll them at Patrat. "I don't hate much. Really, I'm fine with most people. They're okay, if not a little bit dull. I just hate things that require me to do hard work, think, and/or could possibly get me injured. And so far, this show has attempted to do each of these three things to me at some point or another, ergo, I don't like the show or the people who host it."

"Uh, makes sense," said Patrat.

"Yeah. Pretty much," Numel agreed. "Not that hard to understand."

"I'm gonna go talk to Meowth now," said Patrat, walking over to the other side of the cafeteria awkwardly.

Numel sighed. "Just because I don't hate most people doesn't mean they don't sometimes annoy me greatly."

Numel's annoyance was somewhat increased when Cherubi burst into the cafeteria and flung a small bomb at his table. "Just my luck—"he muttered before his table exploded.

"I like bombs," Cherubi said as if that was the explanation of her actions.

"That girl needs professional help," Numel muttered to himself, dusting off the ashes of the table.

 **-static-**

Vaporeon walked into the Reshirams' girls cabin and noticed Glameow sitting on her bed. "Hey, what's up?" she greeted.

Glameow looked startled but recovered quickly. "Oh, I was just reading," she explained.

"Whatcha reading?" Vaporeon continued.

"This book. I brought a lot from home," Glameow explained.

"I take it you like reading?" Vaporeon inquired.

Glameow smiled. "A bit. Sometimes I just don't feel like socializing, other times I do. Today I just felt I'd rather read alone than talk to people."

"It seems like you're alone a lot more than you're with people," Vaporeon noted with a hint of a question in her voice.

Glameow blinked unsurely. "Sometimes when I'm new to a place it takes me a while to warm up to people…" Glameow explained, but she didn't sound all that confident.

"Well, you can feel confident around me," said Vaporeon, smiling. "I've noticed you don't talk to a lot of people here, but we've talked before."

"I feel a little more comfortable around you," admitted Glameow. "I'm still getting used to people…Sometimes I don't like talking to people if I'm not really sure how they'd react to what I'm saying. Do you understand?"

"Maybe," said Vaporeon. "Hey, listen. If you don't want to talk anytime, that's fine. But you just seemed like you were…I don't know, holding back? Absol, Mothim, Numel—they're all a bit antisocial, but I think that's just how they are. But I just felt like that's not how you naturally were."

"Guilty as charged," said Glameow, smiling crookedly. "I'll get used to things here. I promise."

"Good. And if you ever need a friend to talk to, you can come find me," Vaporeon added. "Hey, you wanna go head to the woods with me? Jolteon and I were bored so we decided to get some friends together and hang out there in the woods. Flareon helped, because he knows the other team better. You're welcome to come if you're interested. I'm not sure who he invited, but I invited a couple other friends. It's people you'd like, probably."

Glameow hesitated, but eventually curiosity and desire for a little more connection to the other campers won out. "Sure."

"Great! See ya there in 20 minutes!" said Vaporeon, looking happy.

"See you there," Glameow responded, smiling.

 **-static-**

 **"Vaporeon's right. I should get myself out there more," said Glameow thoughtfully. "I came here to meet some new people, and I've been doing a terrible job of that."**

 **-static-**

Togetic sighed. "I'm bored," she said flatly. She was sitting in the cafeteria across from Snorlax, who was reading a magazine.

Snorlax looked up at her. "Um, ping pong match?"

Togetic cocked her head, considering, before nodding. "Yeah. Let's do that."

"Great!" said Snorlax. Then he paused. "Wait, we don't have ping pong."

Togetic frowned. "That's very sad," she said after another few seconds' pause. "I'm gonna go back to being bored, I guess?"

"No ping pong?!" exclaimed Wooper, popping his head up next to Togetic, who jumped. "That's madness!"

"I mean, it is kinda-" Togetic began.

"I KNOW HOW TO FIX THIS!" Wooper declared brightly. "I'll be right back! I have to go get my partner in crime!" Then he turned back to Snorlax and Togetic. "You'll have your ping-pong table by the end of the challenge."

"Nice," said Snorlax approvingly.

"How are you gonna go about doing that?" asked Snorlax.

"Oh, I'll find a way," Wooper promised. "Don't worry your head about that!" Then he bounced out of the cafeteria, looking optimistic.

"Think he'll be able to do it?" asked Snorlax.

"I hope so, man," said Togetic. "I could use some ping pong right now."

 **-static-**

"Come on, Absol, it's gonna be fun!" said Jolteon, looking disappointed.

"No. I'd rather not go." Absol looked back at his friend defiantly, challenging him to argue. But Jolteon was stubborn, so he was used to arguing.

"Absol, Vaporeon invited me, and she's hot. There are gonna be lots of girls there. It's meant to be an opportunity to have fun!" said Jolteon, trying to make Absol interested in the deal.

Absol rolled his eyes. "If you haven't noticed, Jolteon, there are always plenty of girls on the island. Besides, who says I'm looking for one right now anyway?"

"I do! It's always good to look for opportunities when they arise with the ladies," said Jolteon, grinning. "Unless you're already dating someone. Or into guys. I don't judge."

"No on both of those," said Absol, smirking. "Let's just say I don't find parties…intellectually stimulating."

"Absol, I'm your best friend here and I'm possibly the least intellectually stimulating person I know," Jolteon pointed out. "Just get out of here and have fun!"

Absol sighed. "Are you going to stop bothering me if I don't agree to go?"

"Probably not," Jolteon said after considering.

"Then I'll go," said Absol. "If I stay here as long as I'd like, one wasted afternoon isn't going to kill me."

"That's the spirit! Actually it's not…since I kinda forced you to go…but at least you're going," said Jolteon. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to make myself look good for the party."

"All right, you go do that," said Absol seriously. "And as for me, I'm going to continue reading this book."

Jolteon's face wrinkled in disgust. "Is that a book on advanced physics?"

"Yes."

"You're a weird guy, Absol."

"Thanks."

"All right, see you in a few," said Jolteon, heading back into his room in the cabin. A few seconds later, Luxray walked around the corner. Immediately when he walked in, he looked at Absol.

"Did I hear you talking about going to Vaporeon's party later today?" asked the tiger Pokemon.

Absol nodded. "Jolteon persuaded me."

Luxray's eyes darkened. "Look, I don't want to burst your bubble or anything, but watch out for Jolteon. He's not quite as good of a guy as he makes himself out to be. I know his type. I'd watch yourself around him, or you might find your stuff going missing. He doesn't care what he takes, as long as he gets it."

Absol sat in silence for a few seconds, staring at Luxray in silence. "I'll keep that in mind," he said, remaining completely deadpan. Luxray nodded curtly and walked himself away.

A few seconds later, Jolteon returned, looking slightly cleaner and better prepared. "All right, who's ready to party?!"

Absol sighed. "Let's just get this over with."

 **-static-**

Hoothoot and Gligar sat around their cabin, looking immensely bored. "You know, for a show where our first challenge was jumping off a cliff, there's a lot of wasted time where we do absolutely nothing," Hoothoot observed dryly.

"The payout's gonna be worth it," said Gligar. She looked down at their chessboard. "I completely forgot that we were playing chess."

Hoothoot smirked. "That's because I wanted to see how long it would take you to realize. Your move."

Gligar considered before brightening, using her knight to knock out Hoothoot's pawn. "There."

Suddenly, the door to the cabin burst open and Weavile scrambled in. Her eyes looked frantic. "Guys, you gotta help me! I'm losing it!"

Hoothoot sighed. "Jumpluff? Get in the shower, we'll tell her you're not here."

Weavile ran herself over to the bathroom and slammed the door shut quickly. Barely a second later, Jumpluff popped her head through the door.

"Hi, Hoothoot! Hi, Gligar!" Jumpluff chirped melodically. "Have either of you seen Weavile? I was showing her my painting collection, but she went away…"

"You can paint?" Gligar asked, surprised.

"I only paint pictures of Weavile!" declared Jumpluff proudly. "She's my favorite!"

"Why do you like Weavile so much?" asked Hoothoot, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"I just think we should all be just like Weavile!" Jumpluff explained, unhelpfully.

"Okay…well, she's not here. Try checking one of the other cabins or something," Hoothoot lied.

"Okay, sure! Thanks, guys!" said Jumpluff with renewed excitement. "See ya later!"

A few seconds after she left, Hoothoot called out, "Okay, Weavile, you can come out now."

Weavile peeked out the door and walked quietly over to the bed. When she got there, she slumped down in exhaustion.

"You guys have no idea what it's like," Weavile panted. "She NEVER STOPS. I can't get a freaking BREAK. If she won't stop, I will literally die from exhaustion. I'll just die. That's it. End of story."

Gligar and Hoothoot exchanged a glance. "What does Jumpluff want with you, anyway?" Gligar asked awkwardly.

"EVERYTHING!" Weavile shouted. "She wants to hang out every second of every day, but she's so weird! She wakes me up in the middle of the night to go do stuff! I don't even know if she sleeps!"

"That's…weird," Gligar admitted.

"You think?" said Weavile, glancing at her with a crazed look in her eyes. "I'm losing it, guys. I'm seriously losing it."

Gligar and Hoothoot exchanged a glance but said nothing.

 **-static-**

 **"What the heck is up with Jumpluff?" asked Gligar with wide eyes.**

 **-static-**

 **"Having Jumpluff on the team is a pretty big problem for Weavile," Hoothoot observed. "Maybe we should do something about that."**

 **-static-**

"Ugh, this blows," muttered Cacnea, laying his head down on the table. "Where is everybody?"

"I think they're over there, man," said Mothim, pointing at a table consisting of Pidove, Woobat, Tepig, Oshawott, and Smeargle. "Or there," he added, pointing at Pachirisu, Plusle, and Minun. "Or there," he continued, gesturing to Wynaut, Ludicolo, Crawdaunt, Kricketune, and Mime Jr.

Cacnea looked at Mothim strangely. "I know there are people sitting there," said Cacnea slowly. Mothim nodded as if he had known this all along but decided to tell Cacnea anyway, which was probably true. "I just meant the people I talk to…it seems like they're all busy."

"Who do you normally talk to?" asked Mothim, sitting (or fluttering) down across the table from Cacnea.

"Buizel, Haunter, sometimes Togetic…a couple others on the team aren't that bad, but most people already have friends or are interested in someone, so I don't like to bother them," Cacnea muttered, somewhat bitterly.

"You don't have to just associate with people on your own team," Mothim pointed out.

"Yeah, but isn't mingling with the other team...I don't know, counterproductive?" pointed out Cacnea.

"Of course not," said Mothim calmly. "For many reasons. The other team is just players, like your team is. There's no harm in getting to know their strengths and weaknesses. It also never hurts to have friends on the other team so you can team up with them after the merge. Being generally popular among the campers is also highly beneficial because it allows people to reconsider voting you off. Believe it or not, the other team's opinions of you may affect your team's opinions more than you think, so having a positive opinion with them will benefit you."

Cacnea stared at Mothim. "Should I trust you on this? You know, because you're also on the other team?"

Mothim shrugged. "That's up to you, man. I'm just offering the advice."

Cacnea looked at Mothim for awhile, then spoke. "You know, Mothim, you're not a bad guy."

"Thanks, man," said Mothim, smiling.

"You wanna go hang out before the challenge?" asked Cacnea. Mothim looked surprised but nodded. Cacnea got up off the chair and Mothim followed, going back to their cabin to see what kind of games Cacnea had brought in his camp bag.

 **-static-**

 **"Well, Mothim's not such a bad guy," Cacnea admitted. "It'll be nice to have someone to talk to. Someone at least partially sane."**

 **-static-**

 **Mothim shrugged in the confessional. "There's nothing wrong with being a friend to someone who needs one."**

 **-static-**

Glameow found her way to the place Vaporeon had told asked to meet. There were already a lot of Pokemon here; Vaporeon and Jolteon, sitting next to each other on a log, laughing with Flareon and Skitty. Absol sat a small distance away, looking somewhat emotionless. Wynaut and Mime Jr. were talking to Scraggy, Aipom, and Mudkip, who all looked pleased to be there. Scizor reclined against a tree while she chatted with Luxray and Glaceon, and Ludicolo, Kricketune, and Crawdaunt talked to Smeargle, Haunter, and Misdreavus. Glameow worked her way through the crowd and ended up sitting between Vaporeon and Jolteon's log and the tree which Absol was sitting in front of. Vaporeon smiled brightly as soon as she saw Glameow approaching.

"Glameow! I'm so glad you came!" shouted Vaporeon, running up to the cat Pokemon and putting an arm/front leg around her in a gesture of friendship. Some other Pokemon noticed her as well and gave greetings—she heard a "Hey, mon!" from Ludicolo, a "Hi, Glameow!" from Mime Jr., a "Nice to see ya!" from Aipom, and a few other greetings. Wynaut smiled at her and she returned the favor.

"Thanks for having me!" said Glameow. Now that she was here, it didn't seem so bad. She turned towards Absol, who nodded at her slightly but didn't say anything.

"Get back to your story, Vaporeon!" said Jolteon, giving her a mischievous shove. Vaporeon stuck out her tongue at him and continued. "So anyway, this time in Celadon City. I was at the department store because my mom really needed this TM for her coworker…"

Glameow started tuning out of the story and turned towards Flareon and Skitty. They were leaning up against each other and Flareon whispered something in Skitty's ear. She turned around and laughed, nuzzling him a little bit. Vaporeon grinned at her brother while she told the story, and Flareon smiled back awkwardly.

 **-static-**

 **Glameow sighed. "I came here looking for a boyfriend, but in that regard, I'm not doing so great. And the only friend I've really made is Vaporeon. I need to get myself out there a lot more."**

 **Then she perked up. "No. I'm not going to let myself get this negative attitude. When there's something you want, you have to fight for it. I won't let myself be defeated by this. I came to this party to have a good time and make friends, and that's what I'll do."**

 **-static-**

Glameow returned her attention to the story, which now involved Flareon and their younger brother Eevee and some kind of mishap that occurred in a parking garage that involved at least two cans of root beer exploding on Vaporeon.

"Oh Arceus, that's awful!" said Skitty, but she was laughing.

"This isn't the good part," Vaporeon promised. Flareon was clutching his sides from laughter.

Glameow smiled, but she noticed Absol next to her, still looking detached from the whole thing. Finally, she decided to talk to him.

"Hey, Absol, what's up?" she asked. Absol froze and turned toward her, looking almost cornered.

"Nothing," he spoke carefully. Their eyes met directly, and she noticed with a chill that his eye contact was piercing.

She paused awkwardly before continuing. "Everything okay? You look kind of…out of it."

Absol shrugged. "No. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Glameow asked skeptically.

Now Absol sighed. "Look, social gatherings aren't my thing, okay? I only came because Jolteon wanted me to come, but he's really here for Vaporeon."

Glameow thought for a second. "You can talk to me."

Absol paused. "You want me to talk to you?" He sounded almost shocked.

"Yeah, if you want," said Glameow, looking unsure. Absol seemed like he couldn't believe that she would ever want to talk to him. "I'm here."

There was silence for a few seconds. Then Absol said, "Okay, let's talk."

Just as Glameow was about to respond, they heard Latios's voice over the intercom. "Hey, campers! We've got some news for you! You are gonna love today's challenge! And by that, I mean hate! So get to the cafeteria and we'll explain it to you!" Then the intercom crackled and Latios's voice disappeared. A lot of annoyed complaints could be heard from the other competitors, especially Vaporeon, who wondered if the hosts had specifically planned this to ruin her party.

Glameow sighed. "Wanna talk later?"

Absol nodded. "Sure. That would be great."

 **-static-**

 **"I wonder what's up with Absol…he's always so closed off," said Glameow. "I hadn't really noticed before, since I was always kind of uninvolved with what happened with everyone else, but now…well, he can tell me if he wants. I have to respect his privacy."**

 **-static-**

 **"I hope Glameow isn't annoyed with me for that," said Absol, sounding almost nervous. Then suddenly, he looked angry. "Wait, why should I care about that? I hadn't even really talked to her before then, and it didn't matter to me before!"**

 **Suddenly, Absol sighed, sounding tired. "I don't even know what to think anymore."**

 **-static-**

The campers all gathered themselves in the cafeteria to await instructions from Latias and Latios. The hosts floated at the front of the room, looking pleased with themselves. Once they had counted to make sure that everyone had arrived, Latias began speaking.

"Hello, campers! It's so good to see you here today!" said Latias brightly. She was met with silence.

"Wow, there have only been four challenges and you've already made everyone hate you," noted Numel, smirking.

Latias glared at Numel, who sighed. "Looks like somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning…" he muttered, looking sad. Next to him, Meditite grinned. Latias cleared her throat and tried again.

"Anyway! Before I was so rudely interrupted, I was going to tell you about today's challenge." Latias looked at Latios, who continued.

Latios's satisfaction was evident on his face. "We've been told to ramp up the difficulty of the challenges." He let the statement settle while reactions burst out from the campers.

"You can't be serious!" objected Happiny. "Hide-and-seek was pretty tame, but our first challenge was diving from a cliff! This is going to be worse than that?!"

"Uh, yeah, pretty much," said Latios. Happiny and several other campers glowered at him, while others, like Pidove, looked terrified. Cherubi broke the silence with a quiet, "I like bombs."

"So, today's challenge is going to require some planning, some thinking, and the ability to not get yourself killed—ahem, severely injured," said Latios. Pidove began hyperventilating on the Reshirams' side of the room, and Woobat moved in next to him comfortingly. "Today's challenge is going to be to catch the Red Gyarados in our lake! Also known as Gary. That's his name!"

"We can't catch the Red Gyarados!" Deerling exclaimed. "That's impossible!"

"Oh, Arceus, we're screwed," muttered Scraggy, hanging his head.

"Is this legal?" asked Cacnea, raising his eyebrows.

"The Red Gyarados is named Gary?" asked Wynaut, looking surprised. "I thought we weren't allowed to use our real names on the show."

"You guys aren't," Latias explained. "We hired him, so he gets special privileges."

Zorua the intern was in the back of the room, mopping lazily. "You guys don't let us use our real names, and you hired us," she pointed out in her drawling, monotone voice. "This is discrimination. Down with the system, blah blah."

Latias sighed. "Get back to work, Zorua." Zorua continued mopping without another word, looking as bored as ever.

"I wish we were allowed to use our real names on this show," said Flareon. "It would make it so much easier—you don't know how long it took to start calling my sister "Vaporeon" instead of—"

"Yeah, don't care," Latios interrupted. "Anyway, you get some things to help you catch the Red Gyarados, aka Gary. We're giving you each a few nets, large enough to hold a Gyarados…" Latios produced a net from a bag on the table and held it up. "As well as a boat, in which you can hold maybe six people, give or take? Some of you are a little bigger and heavier than others. My word of advice is, if the boat starts sinking, you've got too many people."

"So we work with our teams to capture…Gary?" asked Azumarill, feeling uncomfortable with using the name.

"Basically," answered Latias. "The first team to capture him and bring him to us is going to be the winning team, and the other team will have to vote someone out tonight. There won't be any immunity given away this challenge…unless we feel like changing the rules, so probably not."

"And we're only doing a single elimination," Latios added. "We were going to do a double elimination today, but the author—I mean, producers, made us change it."

"FOURTH WALL ALERT!" bellowed Carnivine. Everyone looked at him strangely before Oshawott spoke up.

"This seems dangerous and I don't like it," said Oshawott seriously.

"This seems like your challenge and I don't care," Latios responded. "Get your nets and your boats! Your challenge begins now!"

At his announcement, the campers all ran to find some boats and look for the Red Gyarados in the lake.

 **-static-**

 **"A Gyarados? We have to find a Gyarados?!" Pidove exclaimed. "No! I'm too young to die!"**

 **-static-**

 **Drapion grinned. "This Red Gyarados gets all this fame just because it's shiny. I've taken on regular Gyarados before and won. We'll just see who's stronger."**

 **-static-**

 **"If I caught the Red Gyarados and sold it…no, that would never work…" said Meowth. He sighed. "There just aren't enough ways to make money in this game without winning it!"**

 **-static-**

 **"Let the chaos begin," Misdreavus predicted ominously.**

 **-static-**

 **"Hmm, a boat alone on the water sounds like a nice romantic evening for Minccino and I…" said Buizel dreamily. Then he shook his head. "Wait, we have to focus on the challenge! We can't let a potential date opportunity make our team lose! Otherwise, one of us will get voted out, and then where will that get us?"**

 **-static-**

 **"That Red Gyarados won't know what hit him when I aim one of my gigantic tasers into the water!" cackled Cloyster evilly. Then he frowned. "Except I haven't built it yet. Gah, there's always a flaw in the plan! It's hard being evil!"**

 **-static-**

 **"I'm just gonna try to not get eaten," Smeargle admitted honestly. "The money isn't worth that much to me."**

 **-static-**

 **"I wonder if Gary is friendly?" thought Wynaut aloud. "Maybe he'll want to be friends with me if I play his favorite kind of music at the surface! Now if I were a Gyarados, what kind of music would I like…?"**

 **-static-**

"Hey, guys, take a boat with me!" Wynaut called. Ludicolo, Kricketune, Crawdaunt, and Mime Jr. ran over.

"Okay, what's our battle plan?" asked Mime Jr. "We need to capture this thing."

"Uh, I was thinking we could make friends with him by playing his favorite kind of music," Wynaut explained hopefully.

Crawdaunt stopped and stared at him. "One of the first rules of bein' a pirate, laddie, is that ye don't mess with sea monsters. They're cruel, vile creatures that'll eat ye as soon as look at ye."

"This is from all your experience as a pirate, right, mon?" asked Ludicolo, smirking.

Crawdaunt's eyes darted to the right. "Uh, no, it's just that I happen to have read a lot about the pirate way of life, mate. It's an…interest."

"Mhm," said Ludicolo, looking a little smug.

 **-static-**

 **"I'm not sure what it is, but Crawdaunt won't admit he's a pirate," said Ludicolo. "I keep trying to trip him up, but he won't admit it. Even so, he's not a good liar, mon."**

 **-static-**

Marowak called Kingdra, Meditite, Luxray, and Glaceon over near him. "We should all take a boat and attempt to capture the Gyarados together," Marowak announced. "There's safety in numbers."

"And we have Luxray…he's an Electric-type, so that should help us take care of the Gyarados," Glaceon announced, looking at Luxray with wide eyes. Luxray looked pleased to have received the attention.

"Okay, hate to burst your bubble, but 'safety in numbers' isn't really an effective or complete strategy," Meditite pointed out, arms crossed. "So do we have a plan, or are we going into this blind?"

"Well, I've never had to capture a Gyarados, and I'm sure none of you have either, so I don't have a plan yet," Marowak admitted. "But we'll work something out while we're out there. Come on, let's go."

 **-static-**

Plusle, Minun, and Pachirisu all sat on a boat together in the middle of the lake, searching for Gary. Unfortunately, the large sea monster wasn't easy to find.

"I see a Gyarados!" Plusle reported. "Could that be Gary?"

"Uh, that depends on what color it is," Pachirisu responded. "Is it red?"

"I don't know," Plusle confessed. "I'm colorblind. So is Minun." Minun shrugged apologetically.

"Wait, you're both colorblind?" asked Pachirisu, looking genuinely alarmed. Plusle and Minun both nodded. "Oh, this is bad, this is bad, this is bad…"

"What's wrong?" asked Minun, who also now looked troubled.

Pachirisu looked right back at her. "Um, there's no easy way to say this, but…I'm also colorblind. So basically, we're just gonna have to capture Gyarados until we find one that's red, because I can't tell what color it is."

Plusle and Minun both stared at the electric squirrel in shock. Then, all three of them sighed and slumped against the boat.

"This is gonna be a long challenge," said Plusle.

"You can say that again," Pachirisu agreed.

Minun sighed again and stood up. "Well, we've got no time to waste. We need to capture as many Gyarados as possible before the time limit is up."

Plusle sighed and started calling into the lake. "Gary, if you're there, please come up!"

 **-static-**

 **Minun groaned. "This is NOT how I wanted this challenge to go."**

 **-static-**

One of the Reshirams' boats was occupied by five Pokemon—Carnivine, Patrat, Meowth, Cherubi, and Cloyster. Carnivine, Cherubi, and Cloyster seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves, though it was hard to tell with the frequent bouts of insanity that the conversation would lapse into. Meanwhile, Patrat and Meowth kept glancing at Cherubi, who had brought a large collection of bombs onto the boat. Cherubi had promised at the beginning of the challenge to only use them in assisting to capture Gary, but neither Patrat nor Meowth could really be sure that she would keep that promise, so they sat in the corner, more or less huddled in fear.

"First the Red Gyarados, then THE WORLD!" cackled Cloyster psychotically. "YOU'RE MINE, GARY!" Carnivine followed up the statement with a loud, "WILLEWILLEWILLEWILLEWILLEYEAH!"

"How did we get placed on this boat?" murmured Patrat woefully.

"FATE DECREED IT, STRANGE RAT CREATURE!" Cloyster announced before Meowth had time to respond. "NOW MAN THE OARS! FULL SPEED AHEAD! THE HOUR OF GARY'S DOOM IS UPON US!"

Cherubi peered over the side. "I'll just throw a bomb at him when he appears," she decided.

"Wait, are we just waiting for Gary to appear then?" asked Meowth.

Cherubi stared at him. "Do you want to go swimming in the lake with a Red Gyarados down there?

Meowth gulped. "You've made your point."

 **-static-**

Deerling, Jigglypuff, Kirlia, Skitty, and Flareon all sat in a boat.

"So, we're agreed that none of us have the slightest idea about how to catch a Gyarados?" Deerling asked, looking at the other Pokemon in the boat. They all nodded, and Deerling sighed.

"I think it would have been great if we could have brought Minccino and Buizel, especially with Buizel being a strong swimmer," Jigglypuff responded, looking over at a boat on the lake not far from them where Buizel and Minccino were speaking enthusiastically and looking into each other's eyes romantically. "But they wanted their own boat…"

"Thanks for letting me in your boat, guys," said Flareon, breaking up the conversation. "I, uh, feel much safer in groups when I'm on the water…"

"You really hate water, don't you?" asked Skitty. Flareon nodded vigorously.

Deerling looked at Flareon with a curious expression. "Your sister's a Water-type, does that bother you?"

"A bit," Flareon responded, nodding. "But she evolved first. I only realized it was a bad idea to evolve into Flareon after I'd already done it."

"Why'd you pick Flareon?" asked Skitty, looking curious.

Flareon smiled regretfully. "I was kind of jealous that Vaporeon had evolved and I didn't. So I pretty much evolved with the first evolution stone I could get my hands on."

Skitty sighed. "A Moon Stone would be nice for me…"

"I could evolve with one too, but I don't want to," said Jigglypuff. "I kinda like this stage."

"Me neither," said Deerling. "My parents are both Sawsbuck, but I don't think it would work out for me. At least, if I do ever evolve, I'm gonna wait awhile. But I'm happy as I am for now."

"Guys…" said Kirlia quietly. Everyone turned to look at her.

"There's a Gyarados heading right for our boat, and I think it's gonna attack."

"ROW!" shouted several Pokemon at once, and all five Pokemon in the boat grabbed their oars and rowed frantically.

Meanwhile, on the beach, Latias, Latios, and most of the interns were watching the events on the lake. Latias and Latios were laughing hysterically.

"Don't they know you're not allowed to hurt them?" asked Ponyta, a nervous-looking female intern.

"No!" Latios cackled. "That's the best part!"

Latias grinned sideways. "Well, we can't hurt them too much."

Latios smiled back at her. "Maybe the producers will call us again and change that too. Have some faith, sis."

An Axew intern walked up to Latias and Latios. "You guys want more lemonade?"

"Sure!" both hosts chimed at once. Axew nodded and walked away.

"You interns sure do a great job around here," said Latias suddenly.

"Maybe that's because you frequently force us to work without breaks?" suggested Zorua.

Latias turned her head around and looked at the small fox Pokemon. "You. Shut up."

Zorua shrugged and walked away. The hosts turned back to the action. "Oh, I think there's one going after the boat with Aipom, Scraggy, and Mudkip," Latios commented. "Ah, this job never gets old!"

 **-static-**

Pidgeot, Spiritomb, Absol, and Jolteon sat in a boat together, looking under the water for Gary. Spiritomb broke the silence.

"Well, guys, I hate to break it to you, but I don't know how helpful I'll be because I don't have arms," said Spiritomb.

Pidgeot shrugged. "That's no issue. Just look over the side, let us know if you see him."

"Guys, I think I've got something," said Jolteon with a worried expression on his face. The other three Pokemon raced to the other side of the boat, looking unsure. Then they saw, deep in the water beneath them, a large Gyarados swimming up towards the boat.

"I don't think that's red—" Spiritomb began to say, but then Jolteon interrupted him with a loud cry of "ROW, PEOPLE!" Pidgeot, Jolteon, and Absol all began rowing frantically, with Spiritomb watching the Gyarados behind them. He couldn't be sure, but it almost looked like it was laughing as it dove back into the water.

 **-static-**

 **"I'd like to make an announcement for all those of you out there privileged enough to not have experienced this in your lives prior to this moment," said Jolteon, sitting calmly. Then his eyes opened wide. "GYARADOS. ARE. SCARY."**

 **-static-**

Snivy and Munna sat in a boat alone, glaring daggers at each other. An awkward silence filled the air.

"I can't believe this was the only boat left," said Munna, finally breaking the silence.

"And we're the only two in it," said Snivy, glaring right back at Munna.

Munna sighed. "Should we put aside our differences and work together to try to catch the Gyarados?"

Snivy stared at her for a second, then they both burst out laughing.

"Oh, Arceus, Munna, I didn't know you could be funny," said Snivy, trying to catch her breath. "Maybe you just got lucky."

"We'll see who's the lucky one when I catch the Red Gyarados on my own," Munna boasted.

Snivy rolled her eyes. "We're on a boat together, in case you hadn't noticed."

"Oh. Yeah."

 **-static-**

"Pidove, he's not gonna kill us!" Woobat promised for the seventh time as her boat, also containing Tepig, Smeargle, Oshawott, and the terrified Pidove, continued being rowed out further and further while her friends kept searching for Gary. "You just have to try and help us look!"

"If he kills us, the others can file a lawsuit, and then the show will be discontinued," Tepig added reasonably, hoping that it would calm Pidove down.

"Oh, that's gonna help when we're dead!" Pidove responded hysterically. Tepig looked down awkwardly, realizing that possibly his consolation hadn't been quite as helpful as he'd thought it might be.

"Guys, please, calm down," said Woobat in a soothing voice. "Pidove, we'll be okay. We're just gonna catch Gary and leave. We might not even find him. If we do, you can get out of the boat and fly to safety if you think we're gonna be attacked."

"But, w-what about you guys?" asked Pidove, not wanting to leave his friends behind.

"Probably not dead because that would land the hosts in jail," Tepig muttered under his breath. Fortunately, this was not heard by Pidove, though Woobat made an expression.

"I can fly, and the others all know how to swim," Woobat responded.

"Except Tepig!" Oshawott piped up. "But I could carry him. I'm an excellent swimmer!"

"Can you swim faster than a Gyarados?" asked Tepig.

"You can do anything when you put your mind to it!" Oshawott responded confidently. Tepig rolled his eyes.

"Guys, I think I see Gary!" Smeargle called out. Tepig and Oshawott ran over to the other side of the boat, while Pidove was still a little too scared to move. Woobat didn't bother helping because her vision was so bad she'd never be able to see what color the Gyarados was.

"Looks red to me," agreed Tepig. "So are we gonna try to catch it?"

"We might as well," said Smeargle. "Only I don't think he's coming toward us. We might need something to lure him over."

"…Are we using someone as bait?" asked Pidove in a timid voice.

"Of course not!" said Woobat. "Right?"

"Uh…actually, some bait would be nice," Smeargle said awkwardly.

Tepig looked at her with a deadpan expression. "You're not serious."

"I can hop in the water and get his attention, then as he's swimming towards us, you guys get him with the net!" said Oshawott.

"Okay, I think it's a decent plan," Smeargle decided. "Tepig, you and I can stay in the boat and hold the bottom section of the net. Pidove, Woobat, you guys fly in the air and throw it over him. Agreed?"

"O-okay," said Pidove, while the others nodded.

"Great! Oshawott, you're up first!" said Smeargle. The otter Pokemon nodded happily at her and dove into the water.

"I see many ways that this could end badly," groaned Tepig.

Woobat nudged him. "Not around Pidove you don't," she whispered.

"Just because Pidove's afraid of it doesn't mean we shouldn't be too," Tepig whispered back.

"What happened to the whole 'he can't kill us because the hosts will get thrown in jail' thing?" asked Woobat.

"This was before we somehow decided it was a great idea to use Oshawott as bait!" Tepig answered.

"Guys, Oshawott's coming back," Smeargle observed. "Get ready."

The four Pokemon in the boat tensed themselves, ready to go, and Woobat and Pidove flew up into the air so they would be over Gary when he came to the surface. Then, suddenly, Oshawott broke through.

"GUYS, HE'S COMING!" Oshawott bellowed, hopping into the boat and looking afraid.

"NOW!" shouted Smeargle, as her friends tried throwing the net over this Gyarados, which was indeed red. Unfortunately, Woobat, being vision impaired, was unable to actually get it over the Gyarados, which dove back into the water and disappeared beneath the surface again.

"WE WERE SO CLOSE!" cried Tepig in frustration.

"Sorry, guys!" Woobat apologized, looking horrified. "I must have missed!"

"It's okay, Woobat," said Smeargle, looking a bit pained. "We can always try again later…unless someone else catches him first."

Woobat sighed.

 **-static-**

 **"It's hard being vision impaired," said Woobat. "Okay, I have echolocation, but my face gets all screwed up when I do that! Plus sometimes other Pokemon can hear, and it's a bit awkward. And it doesn't work well in open spaces. I really wish my parents had let me out of our cave when I was younger…they were a bit overprotective. I didn't go outside until I was thirteen years old…heheh…It's kind of embarrassing, actually."**

 **-static-**

"You know, we probably should have said no when Jumpluff asked to sit in our boat," Gligar whispered to Hoothoot, who was watching the twitching, insane-looking Weavile. "I think it might be bad for her health."

"Really?" Hoothoot asked rhetorically. Then she spoke up for Jumpluff and Hoothoot to hear. "We need to try and focus on catching Gary. Jumpluff, Weavile, do you have any plans?"

"I think Weavile can get him!" Jumpluff responded, looking very certain. Weavile mumbled something before curling up in a ball and twitching even more.

"What was that?" asked Hoothoot, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.

"I said, if you'd let me sleep, that'd be great. Someone, who will not be named, often gets in the way of that," responded Weavile. Jumpluff immediately returned her attention to Weavile.

"Oh, is it me?" Jumpluff asked, looking excited.

"Go away," Weavile retorted quickly. Jumpluff frowned before looking back at Hoothoot and Gligar.

"So how are we capturing Gary?" asked Jumpluff. "I wanna help!"

"Um, well, we have a net," Hoothoot began. "So we can use that."

"I like your fully-fledged, well thought-out plan," said Gligar, rolling her eyes. "Really gonna win us this challenge."

"You know what, if you have something better, you can try," Hoothoot responded, looking a little annoyed.

"Sorry, I was only kidding," Gligar said, putting her hands up in surrender.

"Oh," said Hoothoot, looking awkward. "Well, that's okay then."

"Ugh," said Weavile, sitting up. "Screw it, maybe I'll be able to sleep some other time. You guys need help."

"Do you know how to catch a Gyarados?" Hoothoot drawled.

Weavile smiled with the corner of her mouth. "I might be better than you'd think."

 **-static-**

"I can't believe we missed it!" moaned Swellow. Her boat, which also contained Togetic, Snorlax, Rampardos, and Scizor, had just spotted and tried to capture Gary, but he had broken their net as he swam through it.

"I can't believe we survived!" Snorlax responded, looking terrified.

Togetic was breathing heavily. "Don't tell Gary I said this…but I hate Gyarados."

Rampardos sighed. "If only they weren't so big…"

Scizor shrugged. "We'll try again. I'm sure we'll find him…hold on," she said, cutting herself off. She moved forward in the boat and squinted at a spot in the water. "He's moving towards Buizel and Minccino's boat."

"HEY! BUIZEL! MINCCINO! HE'S COMING!" yelled Snorlax. The two Pokemon looked up, hearing Snorlax's shouts, and then looked down in the water. Though the Pokemon in Snorlax's boat couldn't hear what Buizel and Minccino were saying, they could see Buizel frantically looking around for the net before finally giving up and yelling something at Minccino. Then, both Pokemon began to row away.

"Well, there goes that option," muttered Scizor.

"It's okay. We've still got a chance to get him," said Rampardos optimistically. "The other team may have more players than we do, but we can do this!"

"I hope you're right," muttered Togetic. "I, for one, am sick of elimination ceremonies. The Reshirams should take a turn for once."

 **-static-**

 **"Okay, seriously, I'd just like to point out the serious unfairness of the elimination ceremonies," Togetic said. "We've been to three elimination ceremonies and eliminated two Pokemon from each…Well, technically, Nidoran was already out by the elimination ceremony, but she still left in that episode. The Reshirams have been to one elimination ceremony and eliminated one Pokemon that time. We need to win for today! Although if we lose, I think we're only eliminating one today, which is a nice change…"**

 **-static-**

"Hey, guys! Hold on!" called a female voice to the boat containing Absol, Jolteon, Pidgeot, and Spiritomb. The four males turned to see that it was Vaporeon calling them, with Glameow right next to her in the boat.

Vaporeon resumed speaking. "Glameow here had a brilliant idea, and I think we should try it." She smiled at Glameow encouragingly, and the cat Pokemon began speaking.

"Okay, I don't think it's brilliant," said Glameow, rolling her eyes. "I just thought about it different from everyone else. There's only so much room in any one boat, true, but we can use as many boats to catch Gary as we need, right? I was thinking, maybe if we team up our boats, we'll have a significantly better chance of catching Gary."

"And I can swim," added Vaporeon.

Pidgeot considered, nodding. "I think that's a great idea. It'll help us. Safety in numbers."

"As long as Gary doesn't murder us, I'm fine," said Jolteon.

Absol nodded at Glameow with a knowing look in his eye, and she smiled at him. Spiritomb also gave a nod of approval, though it was harder to tell because he was a ghost vortex in a rock.

"Great!" said Glameow, looking pleased with herself.

 **-static-**

Wynaut was playing a record in the boat he was in with his alliance. Ludicolo, Kricketune, and Mime Jr. were all dancing along with the music while it was playing.

"Are ye sure playing music is going to lure a Gyarados?" asked Crawdaunt, sounding extremely skeptical.

"I think so," said Wynaut. "We just have to find the right genre." He flipped through more records. "All right, we've tried this stack. Which one do you think is most likely: country, classic rock, R&B, or orchestral?"

Suddenly, a Gyarados popped out of the water, though it was unfortunately the ordinary, blue color. "Aw, man! I love this song! Thanks for the music! Mind if I stay up here and listen?"

"Not at all!" Wynaut responded cheerfully. "Oh, yeah, but when it's done, would you be able to find a Red Gyarados named Gary and bring him up here?"

"Sure, man!" responded the Gyarados, looking happy enough to hear this music that he would have done pretty much anything. "Aw, the music we have down here all sucks. Underwater radio stations are the worst!"

"How is this actually working?" asked Mime Jr., looking puzzled.

"It's Wynaut, mon. It shouldn't surprise you," said Ludicolo. Mime Jr. nodded, not looking completely satisfied. Finally, the song was over, and the Gyarados dove back into the lake.

"And soon he'll be back up with Gary, I bet!" Wynaut exclaimed cheerfully. Mime Jr. and Crawdaunt raised eyebrows, but didn't say anything.

 **-static-**

 **"The little guy knows what he's doing," said Kricketune with an approving tone in his voice.**

 **-static-**

"Is this really safe, Weavile?" asked Jumpluff, who was dangling from a fishing rod.

"Oh, it's perfectly safe!" Weavile assured Jumpluff, grinning darkly.

Gligar stared Weavile directly in the face. "Is this ACTUALLY safe? We can't let this thing maim Jumpluff, no matter how much you don't like her."

Weavile shrugged. "I'll pull her back before it actually hurts her, that's a promise. But maybe the scare will get her to stop bothering me all the time, and she is going to use Stun Spore to paralyze him, which will lessen his chances of actually being able to attack. And besides, Gyarados would certainly be lured more by actual moving bait, correct?"

Gligar sighed uneasily. "Can't argue with that."

The four girls waited for a while in the boat before anyone sighted Gary. Hoothoot was the first to see him, and she alerted Weavile as soon as she realized that the Water-type was approaching them.

"All right, Jumpluff, it's now or never!" shouted Weavile. Jumpluff turned around and grinned at her, looking ready. Suddenly, Gary surfaced, and…

"AAAAAH!" Jumpluff screamed, diving into the boat for safety. Gary smirked and turned around, diving back into the water.

"Gyarados have the Intimidate ability, right…" muttered Hoothoot. "We should've remembered that."

Weavile groaned. "I hate my life."

 **-static-**

"Okay, I think we're okay," Pidgeot finally declared, looking between his boat and Vaporeon's. "This looks like a sufficient trap."

"Do you think he's going to buy it?" asked Absol, looking doubtful. "I think it's pretty obvious."

"I hope he buys it," Pidgeot responded. "If he doesn't, I don't really have a better plan."

"I just don't wanna die," Jolteon muttered. Vaporeon smiled encouragingly at him from the other boat, and he looked like he was feeling a little better after seeing that.

Spiritomb smirked. "I'm already dead, so…have fun, guys."

"They won't let Gary kill us!" Glameow repeated for what felt like the thousandth time to her. "Do you really think they want the show to get cancelled?"

"Ruin my fun, will you?" Spiritomb replied sulkily.

"Guys, he's coming!" said Vaporeon, looking down at the water below. Pidgeot flew up into the air, prepared to catch Gary from above, while Vaporeon planned to go into the water and lure him, and Absol, Jolteon, and Glameow would hold the net from inside the boat. It had been officially decided that Spiritomb would sit out in this challenge because his lack of limbs made him next to useless unless they needed Gary put to sleep with Hypnosis (which Vaporeon had pointed out might make him sink, so the idea was rejected).

Gary swam up forcefully, making all six Pokemon in the boats nervous. Pidgeot flew forward, hoping to intercept Gary while he was swimming upward, and he successfully threw the net over Gary. Vaporeon also managed to capture Gary from underneath. However, the boat containing Jolteon, Absol, and Spiritomb was hit by one of Gary's tail fins, making Jolteon and Absol both accidentally release the net and allowing Gary to get away.

"Ugh!" Jolteon growled in frustration. "That was so stupid! We were so close!"

Vaporeon surfaced from under the lake. "It's not your fault. His tail fin hit your boat; I'm almost surprised it didn't flip."

"Well, I hope someone else on our team catches him," Absol said quietly. "We had a large group and an effective plan, and he still beat us. It'll be tough for anyone to catch him."

There were a few seconds of silence, then Glameow sighed. "Anyone have a backup plan?"

 **-sighed-**

"Go fish," said Mime Jr., looking at the cards in her hand. Kricketune sighed and drew a new card. Wynaut and Crawdaunt were also playing, while Ludicolo looked over the side of the boat, trying to find the Gyarados they had met up with before.

"Oh, he's coming, mon!" Ludicolo exclaimed loudly. "And he's got Gary!"

"Really?" asked Mime Jr., looking excited. "Quick, Wynaut, get out the record player!" Kricketune stared at her. "What, it worked last time!" she exclaimed defensively.

Wynaut pulled out his records and started looking through them. "All right, I have them all. Something here must appeal to his musical taste!"

The original Gyarados popped back out of the lake, bringing along the Red Gyarados known as Gary. Gary looked at the boat, somewhat untrusting.

"You guys are having a music party?" asked Gary, looking doubtful. "What've you got?"

Wynaut bounced over to where Gary was standing and flipped through the records. "See anything you like?" he asked cheerfully.

Gary smiled as Wynaut stopped at one of the records. "How about this one?"

"Okay!" said Wynaut, putting the record on the player and letting it spin. Gary smiled and began dancing to the music. Other campers gathered around this event in their boats, astonished at what Wynaut was accomplishing.

When the record was over, Wynaut gently removed it from the player and looked at Gary. "So can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure," responded Gary, still humming along to the music.

"Can you come with us for a second?" asked Wynaut. He began rowing the boat toward the hosts, and his teammates did the same. Gary swam behind in the water, looking content. They rowed towards the shore, where Latias and Latios were waiting, looking stunned.

"We brought you Gary!" Wynaut exclaimed cheerfully. "This means we win, right?"

Latias finally regained the ability to speak. "GARY, YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO GET CAPTURED!"

Gary sighed. "I…um…owed him a favor?"

"For playing your favorite kind of music?" Latios retorted sarcastically. Gary looked back at Latios defiantly, and Latios just sighed. "Get to the interns' cabin."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," said Misdreavus, whose boat had just been rowed over to the shore. "Gary's an intern?"

"Yeah, surprise!" said Latias, waving her hands as if she expected something to happen because of it. "We just didn't let him start until today so you guys wouldn't know it."

"Can I have my paycheck now?" asked Gary.

"No, you'll receive yours at the end of the week with the rest of the interns when I'm less annoyed at you," said Latios. "Now go."

Gary looked sourly at Latios before moving away towards the interns cabin.

"Well, campers, since Wynaut won the challenge for the Reshirams, Zekroms will be voting someone out…AGAIN," said Latias. "Arceus, you guys are disappointing. Now go and bask in your shame."

"Could've been nicer about it," mumbled Swellow.

"Come on, guys. We'll have to see who to vote out," said Snorlax sadly.

Weavile looked at Jumpluff standing next to her and grinned evilly.

 **-static-**

 **"SHE'S GONE!" cackled Weavile.**

 **-static-**

 **"Jumpluff, I guess," said Hoothoot. "For Weavile's sanity more than anything."**

 **-static-**

 **Scizor crossed her arms. "Buizel and Minccino let their romance get in the way of the challenge. I'm voting for Minccino, and it looks like maybe Togetic and a few others agreed with me."**

 **-static-**

 **"Munna was such a useless partner, I know who I'm voting out," said Snivy decisively.**

 **-static-**

 **"Snivy, obviously. Who else?" Munna said, rolling her eyes.**

 **-static-**

 **Skitty looks indecisive in the confessional. "With Wormadam gone…who do I vote for?"**

 **-static-**

 **Minun sighed. "I still don't like Slowking."**

 **-static-**

 **Slowking stared at the camera before speaking in his deadpan voice. "As much as I already hate everyone on the show, Jumpluff has earned herself a special level of hatred for being a constant nuisance to everyone she's around at any hour of the day. Guess who I'm voting for?"**

 **-static-**

 **"I'm gonna vote for Minccino," said Togetic. "Nothing against her, but she's too distracted with her relationship with Buizel to be helpful in the challenges."**

 **-static-**

"Well, not a lot of you received votes at today's ceremony," said Latias, looking at the votes. "But Poffins go to those of you with none first!"

"The first Zekroms to receive Poffins will be…Jigglypuff, Misdreavus, and Flareon!" announced Latios. The first three all breathed a sigh of relief as they went to claim their Poffins.

"Also safe…Haunter, Scizor, and Drapion!" added Latias. "As well as Deerling and Cacnea." The next five all went up to claim their Poffins, happy to last another day.

"Wooper, Rampardos, Kirlia, Togetic, and Skitty!" called Latios. These five also relaxed once their names were called.

"Shellos, Swellow, Gligar, Pachirisu, Hoothoot," continued Latias. "Come on up."

"Plusle, Minun, Graveler, Snorlax," added Latios. "You guys are also safe."

"The last two with no votes…Buizel and Weavile. Come on up." Buizel and Weavile relaxed at their names being called, and Weavile grinned when she realized Jumpluff was still there. Minccino looked confused as to why she was there, while Munna and Snivy glared at each other. Slowking glared at everyone.

"You've all received some votes today," said Latias, drawing things out for suspense. "However, two of you know you're not going home…Munna, Snivy, get up here."

The two rivals both claimed their Poffins while still glaring at each other. The atmosphere visibly tensed when they left.

"Slowking, Minccino, or Jumpluff?" asked Latias. "Well, well, so suspenseful!"

"The one leaving will not be…Slowking," said Latios. Slowking smirked as he went up to get his Poffin, leaving Minccino and Jumpluff in their seats waiting to be called.

"The final Poffin of the night…" began Latias.

"Goes to…" Latios continued.

Both hosts paused.

"Minccino."

Minccino ran up to get her Poffin, kissing Buizel after she did. Meanwhile, Jumpluff looked sad. "I just wanted to spend more time with my hero, Weavile," she said dejectedly. She neglected to notice that her hero, Weavile, was dancing next to Hoothoot and Gligar, who both looked concerned.

"See you later, Jumpluff!" exclaimed Weavile. "I'll miss you!" She laughed after the last phrase, launching into a strange and unnerving fit of hysterics. Jumpluff looked back with a sincerely pleased expression on her face.

"Well, Jumpluff, time for your last confessional," announced Latios. "Confessionals are that way."

 **-static-**

 **"I just want to say that I loved being on this show so much!" said Jumpluff. "Even if I only lasted a few episodes, the experience was worth a lifetime! But it's really Weavile that made it worth it for me. I know she really likes me, even if she acts like she doesn't. She's so amazing. I wish I could be just like her! But I know she'll win it for me! I have faith in you, Weavile! Bye, everyone!'**

 **-static-**

The campers all gathered around the dock to see Jumpluff off, though most of them weren't really sure how to feel about the odd cotton puff, so they weren't all that sad to see her leaving. Weavile, of course, was ecstatic. As Jumpluff's boat pulled away, Snorlax and Togetic began talking to each other.

"You know, I wonder if Wooper ever managed to order those ping pong tables?" asked Snorlax.

Togetic laughed. "You really think Wooper's gonna be able to bring ping pong tables here? How would he do that?"

Suddenly, another boat pulled up to the dock and several Machamp got out. One of them looked at the name on the package before walking over to Togetic and Snorlax.

"Hello, do you know where I could find Wooper?" he asked politely.

"Oh, that's me!" called Wooper, bouncing along towards the others, being trailed by Shellos. "Is this the ping pong table I ordered?"

"I believe so, sir," said the Machamp. "Where would you like me to put it?"

"The cafeteria would be okay, I guess?" said Wooper. "Shellos, can you help them find a spot to put it?"

"Sure," said Shellos, leading the Machamp away.

Togetic turned to Wooper, surprised. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you. How did you get this thing?"

"Well, I had some help from the interns," Wooper admitted. "I may have, uh, used Latias's office phone and possibly asked the interns for some of their paycheck money to actually buy it."

"The interns actually gave you their paycheck money?" asked Snorlax, shocked.

"There's so little to do here, they were dying for something like this," Wooper explained. "They jumped on this offer as soon as I made it."

"Well, thanks. This should be nice to have," said Togetic, smiling at Wooper.

Wooper winked. "Anytime, my friends! Anytime!"

 **-static-**

So, Jumpluff's gone. Meh. You guys probably didn't really care much about her anyway. She was never meant to last. I had to dispose of the...well...disposable characters first. But Weavile's happier!

A lot of characters received large spotlights this episode, while others faded into the background. My initial plan in the chapter was for Glameow's plan to work and those characters to catch Gary, but I decided Wynaut's plan was too awesome not to work. Sorry Glameow :(

Okay, so let's do a fun fact!

Jumpluff: Jumpluff's character was more or less based off of several things; her worship for Weavile is similar to Sierra from the real Total Drama series, but she's not romantically interested in Weavile. It's more of a worship the way you might worship a movie star/singer/etc. One of the prevailing theories about why Jumpluff loves Weavile so much is that she believes Weavile to be a celebrity she has always been a fan of, but nobody knows for sure.

And here's our team lists...way to suck, Zekroms. Way to suck.

Fiery Reshirams (34 members):

Absol, Aipom, Azumarill, Bidoof, Carnivine, Cherubi, Cloyster, Crawdaunt, Glaceon, Glameow, Happiny, Jolteon, Kingdra, Kricketune, Ludicolo, Luxray, Marowak, Meditite, Meowth, Mime Jr., Mothim, Mudkip, Numel, Oshawott, Patrat, Pidgeot, Pidove, Scraggy, Smeargle, Spiritomb, Tepig, Vaporeon, Woobat, Wynaut

Stormy Zekroms (28 members):

Buizel, Cacnea, Deerling, Drapion, Flareon, Gligar, Graveler, Haunter, Hoothoot, Jigglypuff, Kirlia, Minccino, Minun, Misdreavus, Munna, Pachirisu, Plusle, Rampardos, Scizor, Shellos, Skitty, Slowking, Snivy, Snorlax, Swellow, Togetic, Weavile, Wooper

All right, I have something special for you guys! Listen up, this is the announcement I was talking about! ARE YOU READY? YEEEEAH LET'S DO THIS!

I felt like this chapter was kind of mediocre work for me, and the plot twists were not surprising in my opinion and I know I could have done better. BUT! I have really big plans for the next three chapters that I'd like to reveal to you slightly. Very slightly. Next chapter will feature a lot of character development, hopefully for most of the characters in the story. This will probably be the biggest character development chapter in the story up until this point. Chapter eight will feature what I believe to be the story's first somewhat shocking elimination-I haven't officially decided how this is going to be written, but plans are in the works. The ending of chapter eight and all of chapter nine are going to take the show in a completely different direction from where it's gone this far. It should be very fun and full of lots of surprises. I hope you guys are as pumped as I am! :D

All right, I'm gonna skip the chapter preview for now because I gave you guys that little thing. Next chapter, as I said, will have lots of character development. WOOT.

All right, before I go...please vote in the poll/and or review! Especially reviewing...it helps motivate me to work harder and get myself out of the rut I'm in when I get writer's block. I'd really appreciate it. And for those of you who have done these things, and even for those of you who have stuck with my story this far, you're awesome. Let's hope it continues!

That's it for today. Jumpluff, it's all yours!

Jumpluff: Review for Weavile! I want her to win and you should too! GO WEAVILE! :D


End file.
